Cricket: Stanford Superstars crush England

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
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The first ever Stanford Super Series was played last night.

The Stanford Super Series is the brainchild of Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, a fan of the Twenty20 format of cricket (just one innings played and each team bats for just 20 overs).

The match was between Allen's Stanford Superstars and England, with the winning players receiving $1 million each.

Stanford Superstars won by the maximum 10 wickets, after England left them with a paltry target of just 100 runs to wins....


By Oliver Brett
BBC Sport




Man of the match Darren Sammy absorbs his new-found wealth




Stanford Super Series, Antigua

England: 99 all out
Stanford Superstars: 101-0

Stanford Superstars win by 10 wickets




It's party time for the Stanford Superstars - 11 new dollar millionaires and a very happy support team


England were embarrassed in the finale of the Stanford Super Series as the Superstars team won by 10 wickets to pocket the $20m (£12.4m) prize fund.

England slumped to 33-4 and then 65-8 after 15 overs before Samit Patel's 22 took them to 99 in 19.5 overs, still easily their lowest Twenty20 total.

Superstars skipper Chris Gayle smashed England out of sight, striking five sixes in a devastating unbeaten 65.

He and Andre Fletcher (32 not out) took just 12.4 overs to bring home the cash.


The Superstars XI take home $1m each - with four of them winning the money despite neither batting nor bowling - but England's players go away with nothing after a difficult week.

The five remaining members of the winning Caribbean squad share $1m, with their back-room staff members pocketing $1m as well.

In addition, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the West Indies Cricket Board each receive $3.5m.

The tourists had actually begun reasonably brightly with the bat after Kevin Pietersen had won the toss. Matt Prior struck a couple of clean boundaries as he and Ian Bell steered the tourists to 19-0 after three overs.


But Jerome Taylor bowled Bell with a fast and full delivery and two balls later Prior moved across his stumps, missed with his attempted swipe, and also had his stumps re-arranged.

Pietersen never got going, and the excellent Darren Sammy - an unsung seamer from St Lucia - flung himself onto his back in exultation after removing the England captain.

By then, Sammy had seen Owais Shah well caught at square leg off his bowling. And the wicket of Pietersen - almost a carbon copy of Prior's demise - left England in tatters at 33-5.
Kieron Pollard looked to be the weak link in the Superstars attack with his gentle medium pace. Flintoff possibly sensed that and connected cleanly with one rare boundary thumped down the ground.



He tried to do the same with the next ball, but a well-disguised slower ball did for him as he became the fourth of six England batsmen to be bowled.

All-rounders Paul Collingwood and Luke Wright were caught in the deep before Graeme Swann was bowled by spinner Sulieman Benn. Bankroller Sir Allen Stanford applauded each wicket with a beatific smile, though surely he would have hoped for a better contest than this.
It was a quiet evening for the England players' partners


When Patel was dropped on the boundary by Dave Mohammed off Pollard he had just five runs to his name but the let-off enabled him to hit the same bowler for two boundaries as England attempted a rally.


But he was run out in the penultimate over and Benn bowled last man Steve Harmison to finish with the wonderful figures of 3-16.

Superstars openers Gayle and Fletcher had to weather an impressive hostile opening over from Harmison.

But as soon as Fletcher hit three fours off Stuart Broad's first over it was plain-sailing, with two fours and two Gayle sixes fired off Harmison's third over - which rather made a mockery of any complaints about the pitch.

The celebrations were in full flow among the home supporters long before the finish - with occasional crescendos greeting each Gayle six.

He hit five in all, and appropriately the final one was the winning hit - deposited yards beyond the long-on fence - off England's best bowler, Flintoff.
Gayle's team-mates swarmed onto the pitch to congratulate him and his young partner, while Stanford also made his way out to the middle to join in the celebrations.


England skipper Kevin Pietersen wins the toss and tells his Stanford Superstars counterpart Chris Gayle that England will bat first


England 's hopes of winning the $20m prize suffer an early blow when Ian Bell sees his stumps sent crashing by Jerome Taylor for seven


Taylor repeats his stump-smashing trick and dismisses Matt Prior one run later and England have lost both their openers for 22


England need a big knock from their skipper but Pietersen is bowled for seven after walking across his stumps and missing a straight one


Andrew Flintoff clouts one four but then tries another and is clean-bowled by Kieron Pollard and England are in big trouble on 51-5


Billionaire backer Sir Allen Stanford (right) applauds his team as they continue to run through England's batting line-up


Graeme Swann's dreams of buying a pink Ferrari look doomed after he is bowled by spinner Sulieman Benn and England are 64-8


Samit Patel strikes two lusty fours as he hits England's top score before being run out for 22 to leave his side 92-9


England's wives and girlfriends' hopes of a shopping spree are in disarray after their men are all out for 99 off 19.5 overs


Steve Harmison shows his frustration after the big-hitting Gayle survives a scare early on in the Superstars' reply


Andre Fletcher and Gayle touch gloves as they close in on England's meagre total, making batting look easy


Fletcher, a little-known 20-year-old from Grenada, falls to his knees as the magnitude of his million-dollar win sinks in


It's party time for the Stanford Superstars - 11 new dollar millionaires and a very happy support team


In the best traditions of the tackiest game shows, the losers go home with nothing - and a pledge from Pietersen to "buy into" the format

news.bbc.co.uk/sport
 

gopher

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2005
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Minnesota: Gopher State
GREAT post!


I watched the highlights on ESPN this afternoon. So great to see the Windies in good form just like they were in the 90s when Sir Vivian was their best batsman.

Cric still has a long ways to go before it will become a popular sport in the States as it was back in the 1800s. But I'm hoping that day will come soon!