 Clarke says he was "staggered" by the level of interest |
The England and Wales Cricket Board has rejected three offers for England to play in Stanford-style one-off matches. ECB chief Giles Clarke admitted he was staggered by the level of interest in trying to organise something similar to last year's controversial $20m match. The origin of the offers has not been revealed, although it is understood at least one came from the Middle East. The Stanford Superstars XI beat England by 10 wickets when they met in Antigua last November. The Stanford Super Series, set up and financed by American financier Sir Allen Stanford, was dogged by controversy the whole way through. Kevin Pietersen, England captain at the time, admitted he "wanted the week to end" during the Twenty20-format tournament, and even the UK government joined in, with Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Andy Burnham describing it as "hollow" and saying he watched it "with a sense of unease".  | 606: DEBATE |
The six-game series also featured English domestic Twenty20 Cup winners Middlesex as well as Trinidad and Tobago, winners of the Stanford-funded West Indies regional Twenty20 tournament. It culminated in the $20m match - with the 11 winning players pocketing $1m each. A further $1m was shared between the four remaining squad members, $1m between the winners' backroom staff, while the ECB and West Indies Cricket Board were due to receive $3.5m each. Initially the ECB said it was committed to the future of the series, having struck a deal with Stanford to play five $20m matches and additional Twenty20 tournaments in England. But in February 2009 it severed all ties with Stanford after he was accused of an $8bn (£5.6bn) investment fraud in the US. He has been issued with civil proceedings by the US financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and vigorously denies allegations of financial wrongdoing, but has yet to be charged with a criminal offence.
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