The Stanford Super Series was a series of Twenty20 cricket matches held in 2008, sponsored by American financier Allen Stanford. The centerpiece of the event was a winner-take-all match between the English national cricket team and an all-star team from the Caribbean, known as the Stanford Superstars, with a prize of US$20 million.
Background and Format
Allen Stanford proposed the series as a means of promoting Twenty20 cricket in the West Indies, building on his earlier Stanford 20/20 tournament (first held in 2006), which featured teams from the Caribbean island nations. Initial plans to invite Sri Lanka, India, Australia, or South Africa fell through due to scheduling conflicts and contractual issues. After India declined participation, Stanford negotiated a five-year deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2008, worth a total of US$100 million, for an annual series of winner-take-all matches.
The 2008 tournament was played from 25 October to 1 November at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Coolidge, Antigua. All matches began at 5:30 pm local time (9:30 pm in the UK) and were broadcast on Sky Sports.
Participants
Four teams took part:
- Stanford Superstars – a selection of the best players from the Stanford 20/20 competition, captained by Chris Gayle. The selection panel was led by Sir Viv Richards and included West Indies legends Sir Everton Weekes, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs, Richie Richardson, Andy Roberts, and Courtney Walsh.
- England XI – the English national team.
- Trinidad and Tobago – winners of the 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournament.
- Middlesex Crusaders – winners of the 2008 Twenty20 Cup in England and Wales.
Prize Money
The US$20 million prize for the final was distributed as follows:
- Each of the 11 players on the winning team who played in the championship match: US$1 million each.
- Reserve players on the winning team: US$1 million split among them.
- Management team: US$1 million.
- The England and Wales Cricket Board and the West Indies Cricket Board: US$7 million split between them.
Matches and Results
Exhibition Matches
- 25 October: Stanford Superstars (146/5) defeated Trinidad & Tobago (124/8) by 22 runs.
- 26 October: England (121/4) defeated Middlesex (109/4) by 12 runs.
- 28 October: England (141/6) defeated Trinidad and Tobago (140/9) by 1 run.
- 30 October: Stanford Superstars (173/4) defeated Middlesex (115) by 58 runs.
Trans-Atlantic Twenty20 Champions Cup
- 27 October: Trinidad and Tobago (122/5) defeated Middlesex (117/8) by 5 wickets.
The US$20 Million Match
- 1 November: Stanford Superstars (101/0) defeated England (99) by 10 wickets. Chris Gayle scored 65* and Andre Fletcher 32* as the Superstars chased down England's total in just 12.4 overs. Sulieman Benn took 3/16 for the Superstars. Darren Sammy was named Player of the Match.
Reception and Controversy
The tournament drew large crowds in the West Indies but received a skeptical response from the British press. Stephen Brenkley of The Independent described the event as having "money, but nothing else going for it." Criticism was also directed at the pitch conditions, inadequate floodlights at the Antigua ground, and the behavior of Allen Stanford, who offended several England players by acting flirtatiously toward their wives during a match—an incident for which he later apologized. The England team was also affected by a stomach bug during the tournament.
A commercial dispute arose when Digicel, the main sponsor of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), filed suit claiming it was owed advertising and broadcasting rights. Digicel won the suit in the High Court in London but later reached a settlement allowing the tournament to continue.
Dissolution
Following the 2008 edition, the future of the series was cast into doubt when Stanford disbanded his team of 12 "Stanford Legends" who had been acting as tournament ambassadors. In February 2009, after Stanford was charged with fraud by U.S. authorities, the ECB terminated all contracts with him. Stanford was subsequently convicted on 13 of 14 charges related to an US$8 billion Ponzi scheme and sentenced to 110 years in prison, which he is serving at United States Penitentiary, Coleman in Florida. The Stanford Super Series was not held again.
