WICB Draws (Stanford) Line

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) isn't entirely happy about the way Texan billionaire Allen Stanford is going about organising his 20/20 tournament.

Stanford, who deliberately kept the WICB in the dark about plans for the $28 million tournament, has been dispatching former West Indies greats to WICB member territories to start disbursing funds, a move that has apparently irked the board.

"The generous offer of assistance, which is proposed, is to be welcomed, but if it is Mr. Stanford's desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives, which are well advanced," the WICB said in a carefully worded statement.

The statement, which was signed by all six WICB member territories, said that during the visits by Stanford's envoys, the members indicated "general interest" in the funding proposal but made it clear that a standalone venture would divide West Indies cricket.

"[We] have made it clear that we expect these arrangements to be pursued through our collective participation at the level of the West Indies Cricket Board," the statement read.

"Anything else would suggest an attempt to create duplication and division within West Indies Cricket, which we do not believe is Mr. Stanford's intention," it added.