ECB positive about Stanford match

Mumbai, April 17 - England are 'very likely' to take up an offer from Texas billionaire Allen Stanford to play a multi-million dollar Twenty20 match during their tour of West Indies next year, said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke.

Clarke met Stanford at Lord's Tuesday to discuss possible joint ventures which could include the Texan having a role in any future English Premier League plus the match next year, which could be worth as much as $20million, against an All-stars West Indies XI.

'We did see Sir Allen, but a date has not been fixed for when anything will be played, or what format it will take this year or going forward into the future,' Clarke told BBC Radio Four's Today programme. 'I think that match is very likely to take place. Sir Allen is doing a huge amount for cricket in the West Indies and we are keen to help things develop there.'

With no window in the current international schedule to allow England's centrally contracted players to compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL) the ECB is eager to appease players who are keen to cash in on lucrative Twenty20 tournaments.

Clarke added: 'Of course we are also keen to give our players the chance to make a significant amount of money and these types of games can be tremendously dramatic. We are extremely interested in his ideas, but there is a long way to go.