Tony Becca
THE STANFORD 20/20 cricket tournament, scheduled to be played at the beautiful and homely Stanford cricket ground in St. John's, gets under way today.
Although there are a number of West Indies Cricket Board members who are not in favour of it, even though a number of the Board's affiliates only tolerates it and agreed to participate because of the hand-out from the sponsor and the perceived resentment that would come from the players if they did not, it does so with the blessings of all those who love cricket - those who enjoy the sweet sound of bat hitting ball.
With the affiliates hardly getting a cent, or two cents, from the WICB to develop the game in their territories and with Stanford giving each one US$250,000 to prepare its team for his tournament and another US$100,000 for capital investment, it is easy to understand, despite the opinion of some of its members, why the WICB had to stand aside and allow the tournament to take place.
Had it not done so, the Board probably would have had a mutiny of its members on its hands.
HANDSOME SUM
With the man of each match collecting US$25,000 - more than the Man-of-the-Match award for performances in the regional four-day competition and in five-day Test matches, with the winner of each match collecting a handsome sum and with the runners-up in the competition pocketing US$500,000 and the winners US$1 million - much more than the winners of the regional four-day competition collect and much, much more than the West Indies team collects when it wins a Test series, it is easy, once again, to understand, despite the opinion of its members who were not in favour, why the affiliates had to keep themselves quiet.
Had the affiliates not done so, they probably would have had to find some new players - just as the Board almost had to do for the "A" team's tour of England.
On top of that, some of the players taking part in Stanford's tournament will have the chance of sharing US$10 million between them if they can, while representing the Caribbean Super Stars X1, win the two international matches against South Africa and a World X1 at the end of the tournament.
That is why there are so many people, including those who run West Indies cricket, against the Stanford 20/20.
WASTE OF MONEY
According to them, the prize money is too much money for too little, it is a waste of money, as nearly happened when a few weeks ago players at first declined to go to England with the West Indies "A" team because the dates clashed with the Stanford 20/20 and they wanted to play in it so that can win some money - and plenty of it at that, it will undermine West Indies cricket, and in many respects they are right.
For those who are against the tournament, however, they should remember three things. One, is that it is Stanford's money and he has a right to do what he wants with it; two, is that no one can stop progress; three, is that anything that promotes the game is good for the game.
And who to tell, just like the coming of Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket in 1977, cricket and cricketers may be better off for the coming of Stanford - and especially if it is so successful, if he is so committed and if his pocket is so long that it lasts for more than one year.
The Stanford cricket ground is situated next to the fabulous "Sticky Wicket" restaurant on the outskirts of St. John's in Antigua.
In fact, it is on the same compound, the matches will be played at 3 o'clock in the afternoons and at 7 o'clock in the nights, and with the stumps and the bails painted silver, with the helmets, the pads and the gloves painted black with blue and yellow stripes, with the bats painted black with the Stanford 20/20 logo on the back and on the front, with the balls a bright orange and expected to swing more than normal cricket balls, it should be cricket lovely cricket for one month in Antigua.
That should certainly be so as far as the colour is concerned and especially so during the nights when the floodlights light up the field and focus on the outfits and on the cricket gear - the bats, the pads, the gloves, the helmets, the ball - which were specially manufactured and delivered by Vampire cricket equipment of Toronto.
