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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:10:22:20:53:39 by Birbal.

What a triumph for the West Indies and especially for Marlon Samuels... he is fulfilling some of the VAST potential he showed early... back in the mid 2000s I compared his talent and style to a young Garry Sobers... and finally, finally he is doing it justice.

The IPL has been a boon, especially for the West Indies....

Birbal, I think you're right that it's a not a coincidence that the West Indies are playing much better post IPL era after their relatively fallow decade or so...

I, growing up as an acolyte of Lloyd's great West Indian teams, would love a West Indian revival, even at their cockiest they don't rub me the wrong way as many Aussie or English teams do....

Especially in fast bowling, the cricket world sorely misses the West Indies....

24 needed with a bunny coming in at 11? No problem!

Compare the REAL and LONG LASTING benefits to Windies cricket from IPL...and the SORDID Stanford fling...that WICB was arm-twisted into by a desperate ECB...and one can see that the IPL is a true boon... while the ECB's dalliance of convenience with a convicted felon...was an unmitigated disaster for Windies cricket...

I read somwhere that a couple of the Windies players, actually invested some of the money they earned from playing in the HYPED UP Stanford All-Star game in Stanford's Carribbean bank...and lost it all when Stanford went belly up... they got gyped twice...

West Indies have looked a different side since Gayle returned. The always underrated Sammy has also done an excellent job as captain over the last couple of years.

India - World Cup winners 2011!!!
Champions Trophy winners 2013!!!
Congrats to Indian team and all Indian fans!

Quote:

Birbal
that WICB was arm-twisted into by a desperate ECB

Completely and utterly wrong. Stanford had already settled in the caribbean and had hosted a tournament before the ECB came into the picture.

From ESPN Cricinfo...

Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WIC, has said his board did attempt to do background checks on Allen Stanford before entering into a five-year deal with him along with the ECB.

"Both the ECB and the [West Indies] board did due dilligence checks," he told the Trinidad & Tobago Express. When asked if the WICB did these checks independently of their British counterparts, Peters responded: "The ECB certainly have more resources than us, so they led the checks."
Both boards have been left with cricket projects in limbo as a result of fraud charges being laid against Stanford, who was sponsoring the Stanford Super Series, the first edition of which was held last year when a Stanford Superstars team won a US$20 million winner-takes-all match against England. English counties also received £50,000 each from that game.

Stanford also ran the Stanford 20/20 regional series, from which territorial boards received money for cricket development, and was set to bankroll a quadrangular tournament in England later this year. Stanford was also supposed to contribute to the WICB's Chance to Shine development programme, scheduled to get going later this year.

Peters insisted Stanford's legal problems and frozen assets were not something the WICB could see coming. "They [the Stanford Financial Group] are a legitimately registered business in the Caribbean. There was no reason to believe there was anything fraudulent about the company. We're not forensic accountants here."

However, even the ICC had decided against doing business with Stanford after a meeting in 2007 before the ICC World Twenty20 final between India and Pakistan. Stanford had proposed an annual triangular tournament involving two full member teams and his All-Star side. But when he suddenly changed the proposal at the last minute to include just the winners of that final, the ICC backed off.

"Any thought we might have had of doing business with him was placed on the back burner when he moved the goalposts immediately," ICC president David Morgan had told the Telegraph.

Stanford had also previously approached cricket authorities in India and South Africa with big money proposals without success.

^ The article ONLY talks about the timeline AFTER the ECB entered the picture. The very next paragraph talks about how Stanford had planned and pulled off a regional 20/20 tournament in the WI. It was the WICB that, having smelled the $$ on the table, that went crazy and wanted to make this a more global affair, in an effort to make more $$$ for themselves, and pulled the ECB into a deal. That the ECB were stupid enough to get caught up in the fanfare and the money, is fact. This, on the other hand:

Quote:

Birbal
that WICB was arm-twisted into by a desperate ECB

is blatant, bare-faced lying.

I admit that I didn't check the details about who induced who... it appears that Stanford already was in bed with WICB and England who were desperate for some Twenty20 "benefactor" were quick to jump into the same bed...

The bottom line is the ECB was quick to embrace Stanford...because they wanted someone who could fund them in their battle against the IPL... and they didn't look too closely at whom they were doing business with...

Nope. The bottom line is that you posted, yet again, a completely blatant and bare-faced lie and also had the audacity to publish it as an "article", in an effort to speak so loud hoping it starts sounding like the truth perhaps to even yourself, solely because it suits your disappointingly obvious agenda.

ECB tried to use Stanford to bankroll them... He may have already been involved with WICB... but ECB surely didn't bother to look to closely and were eager to have him fund them...

It turned out to be a DISASTER for Windian cricket...not so much for English cricket...though they too got smeared with the taint of the sordid Stanford...

Compare that to how the IPL has been much more positive for Windian cricket.... that was the KEY point of that portion of the article...which you ignored...instead glomming onto the one statement about ECB inducing the WICB...to get in bed with Stanford

Nobody really cares about who introduced who to whom...Both the ECB and the WICB...were hot and heavy sucking up to Stanford...

Turns out the guy was a HUGE FRAUD..

ECB certainly still are implacably hostile to IPL... WICB are finally coming around after seeing they really have no choice... The Windian players by playing in the IPL with or without the WICB's blessing were making them increasingly irrelevant... now by belatedly supporting IPL...the WICB is trying to make the best of the situation...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:10:13:06:39:50 by Birbal.

some of the wives/girlfriends of english cricketers were sitting on Stanford's laps so that is enough for any sane person to see how much ECB was in bed with him..

Quote:

Birbal
Nobody really cares about who introduced who to whom

Then why did you even write about it? Geez. And to think the guy that founded the IPL finds refuge in England of all places!! Hahahahaha.

he moved to England to avoid legal problems at home...but they are more politically motivated... he is NOT behind bars in England...Stanford is in federal PRISON...albeit a Club Fed type facility...

Where do you think he would be if he came back to India?

Sammy credits Stanford with revival of Windies in T20...

And he may have a point about the setting up a viable T20 tournament...

But how about giving credit to the T20 tournament that most of the CURRENT Windies participate in and make huge $$$ in? Heck the WICB gets a nice cut too... so seems quite amazing that he talks about Stanford but fails to mention the IPL...

Guess case of SOUR GRAPES...and he himself is not benefiting from IPL...

From the BBC...

It is four years to the day that the Stanford Superstars crushed England in the Stanford Super Series in Antigua - a match worth $20m (£12.5m) to the winners.

The series, part of a then five-year contract between Allen Stanford and the England and Wales Cricket Board, caused considerable controversy, not just because of the extraordinary amount of money on offer but also because of the flamboyant Texan's behaviour.

The series was denounced as a gimmick after the one-time billionaire arrived at Lord's by private helicopter, landing on the nursery ground, and then brought $20m in cash on to the stage to launch the tournament.

Whatever happened to the Stanford Superstars?
Chris Gayle (capt) - returned to West Indies side this year after contract dispute
Andre Fletcher (wk) - big-hitting batsman last played for WI in June 2011
Ramnaresh Sarwan - ex-WI skipper now plays for Leicestershire, won legal case against WI board in September 2012
Shivnarine Chanderpaul - still WI's middle-order rock in Test cricket
Sylvester Joseph - Superstars vice-captain has not played first-class cricket since 2008
Kieron Pollard - plays T20 for franchises around the world, still in WI limited-overs side
Darren Sammy - all-rounder now captains West Indies
Sulieman Benn - left-arm spinner has not played for WI since 2011 World Cup
Dave Mohammed - left-arm chinaman bowler has not regained his WI place
Jerome Taylor - injury-plagued quick bowler last played for WI in June 2010
Daren Powell - paceman last appeared for WI in 2009, played for Lancashire in 2010 as a Kolpak player
Reserves: Lionel Baker, Lennox Cush, Travis Dowlin, Rayad Emrit, Chad Hampson, Lindon James
Stanford, who built his own cricket ground in Antigua, had to apologise to the England players after television pictures showed Matt Prior's then pregnant wife sitting on his knee during a game.

But things changed quickly. In early 2009, Stanford became the subject of several fraud investigations and, on 17 February, 2009 was charged with investment fraud worth $8bn.

He is now serving a 110-year prison sentence for his role in one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in United States history.

Despite his spectacular downfall - and the problems he caused for thousands of investors - there are those who believe he has he left a positive impact on cricket in the Caribbean.

Stanford's involvement in West Indies cricket started in 2006, when he created and funded the first Stanford 20/20 tournament. The second tournament took place in early 2008 and was watched by a reported global audience of 300 million.

Less than a month ago West Indies became World Twenty20 champions, their first piece of silverware since the Champions Trophy in 2004 and before that the World Cup of 1979.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy, man of the match in the final game of the Super Series in 2008, has little doubt that Stanford has left a legacy in Caribbean cricket.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live for a special programme broadcast on Thursday evening, Sammy says Stanford played a huge role in regenerating cricket on the islands.

"It was unfortunate what happened afterwards, but the impact he had on West Indies cricket can never be forgotten," said Sammy.

"His tournament in the Caribbean did wonders, and guys like [West Indies internationals] Kieron Pollard and Andre Fletcher came through it.

Play mediaAdvertisement
Archive interview: Sir Allen Stanford at the 2008 series launch
"At the time you could see all the young kids on the streets wanting to play cricket again. There was a whole new energy in our cricket."

While England's preparation for the Stanford Super Series was widely questioned, Sammy says the Stanford Superstars were especially focused ahead of the match.

He added: "We prepared well. We were in camp in Antigua for around a month and a half, training every day. Once that game came on 1 November, we were ready as a team, and it showed in the way we played.

"Our players had never been exposed to such incentive, and that was a massive motivation.

"It was a life-changing moment for the 11 guys that played, and the rest of the squad and the management staff were rewarded as well."

The players all received their money, although there have been suggestions some were encouraged to reinvest with Stanford's companies.

"That I don't know, I have never asked," Sammy said. "I got paid and I did what I had to do and invested the money. I guess everybody did what they thought was good for them at the time."

The beaten England XI
Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Samit Patel, Luke Wright, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison.

Reserves: Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson
While admitting that Stanford's absence has left a financial void in West Indies cricket, Sammy insists the future of the game in the Caribbean is healthy.

"We need to keep on winning and then you'll see the fans back supporting us," he said. "We have never been short of talent in the Caribbean; it's about nurturing it and developing it.

"We still have a lot to offer in all three formats. Hopefully we can continue to produce good cricketers that will influence and have an impact on the lives of the Caribbean people."

As for Stanford himself, Sammy says he feels no animosity. "Obviously no-one would wish bad things on people," he said.

"In life you all have choices. It's just sad how it all ended. I didn't foresee what happened and I don't know the details.

"But I do know we as a team will never forget what he did for the Caribbean in terms of bringing back the interest in cricket."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:11:02:21:24:07 by Birbal.

BBC and ECB pays these IPL rejects to eitehr Bash BCCI / IPL directly or indirectly.....
tony grieg just did something as a paid bcci bashing in the name of mcc lectures