Stanford millions cause England tension

The England & Wales Cricket Board has denied that Allen Stanford's plan for an annual US$20million Twenty20 fixture is in jeopardy because of rifts within the England camp, but the proposal has caused tensions nonetheless, with the breakdown of the prize pool becoming a major talking-point among the squad members.

According to the Mail on Sunday, the players are worried about the blame implications of losing such a significant sum of money to the West Indies XI through - for example - a misfield, which could ultimately impact on team cohesion. Potential rifts and injury concerns are also a factor in their resisting even an alternative idea that every player in the game is paid a £500,000 appearance fee.

Of the 12 England players with central contracts, six are not currently involved in the Twenty20 format - including the Test captain, Michael Vaughan, who was quizzed on the subject during his close-of-play press conference at Lord's on Sunday evening. England's back-room staff would also feel entitled to a cut of the winnings, but as yet there is no consensus as to how best this could be done.

"Like most things in life, it's got to be fair," said England's coach, Peter Moores. "If it's fair, people will be fine with it. If it's deemed to be unfair, it'll cause its own dramas."

"We welcome Sir Allen Stanford's interest in English cricket and the opportunities it presents, however, we are focussed on the current series with New Zealand," said a statement on behalf of the England players. "We are confident that the ECB and PCA will manage any and all of the players' issues on our behalf which are presenting great opportunities for cricket and its players."

The ECB hope to be able to announce the precise details of the agreement by early next week, with each player on the winning side is expected to pocket US$1million.