England to play for £10m jackpot

Updated 15.29 Wed Jun 11 2008

Keywords: sir allen stanford, west indies cricket, west indies, england cricket, england, cricket, sport

England's cricketers will get the chance to play for the biggest single sporting jackpot in a series of matches against an all-star team in the West Indies.

The billionaire businessman Allen Stanford has arranged an annual 20-over match between England and the West Indies and the winning team will take the entire prize purse of £10 million.

"It will be a highly anticipated event" - Sir Allen Stanford

Stanford already funds the Stanford 20/20 competition between teams in the Caribbean and this one-off match will be held every year for five years.

The prize on offer is the biggest for any single sporting event in the world.

Stanford said: "I see this as a fantastic opportunity for current players in the Stanford 20/20 tournament to take a giant leap into the spotlight and gain exposure to top class opposition.

"It will be a highly anticipated event, not just because of the prize money, but because of the traditional friendly rivalry that exists between England and the West Indies."

The first match will take place on November 1, 2008.