Stanford 20/20 for 20

No change in Stanford schedule

Cricinfo staff

October 9, 2008

Stanford organisers have confirmed that the Stanford Super Series will go on as scheduled after Allen Stanford and Denis O'Brien - the head of Digicel, sponsors of West Indies cricket - reached an agreement on sponsor rights for the matches.

"I am pleased with both parties' solution oriented approach and most importantly that this matter has been finally resolved," Stanford said. "We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to the Stanford Cricket Ground to enjoy a fantastic week of cricket."

The match was put in doubt when Digicel argued that if the Stanford match was officially recognised by the West Indies board then, as official sponsor to the WICB, it had branding and other commercial rights associated with that deal. The High Court in London, where the case was heard, ruled that the WICB had to remove its sanction for the game as not doing so would put it in breach of contract with Digicel. This meant that the November 1 fixture would have pit England against a second-string West Indies side.

However with negotiations between Stanford and Digicel being "extremely productive", according to Stanford organisers, the players involved can continue their preparations for the winner-takes-all $20 million extravaganza.

"Digicel is delighted to confirm that negotiations have been successful and that arrangements have been put in place to allow for the series to continue for at least the next three years," said a statement. "Digicel has at all times supported the Stanford initiative and from the outset sought a negotiated compromise with the relevant parties."

Paul Collingwood, the England batsman, has said the compromise will be good for the game. "It's going to be interesting, it's going to be certainly a good spectacle," Collingwood said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of pressure on the day."

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