All parties welcome Stanford link

19 May 2008

Sir Allen Stanford

The England and Wales Cricket Board, the England playing squad and the Professional Cricketers Association have all welcomed the proposed Twenty20 involvement of Sir Allen Stanford.

A statement on behalf of the England players said: “We welcome Sir Allen Stanford’s interest in English cricket and the opportunities it presents.

“However, we are focused on the current npower Test series with New Zealand.

“We are confident that the ECB and PCA will manage any and all of the players’ issues on our behalf which are presenting great opportunities for cricket and its players.”

The PCA added: “We welcome Sir Allen Stanford’s interest in English cricket and congratulate the ECB executives for the opportunities it presents for the England players and for the wider interests of cricket.

“We will continue to work with the ECB to ensure that any proposed investment best serves the England team, and importantly the health of the English game as a whole.

“We are confident that this agreement will reward the players appropriately, develop the English game and deliver benefits to a wide range of cricketers.”

The ECB said: “We are delighted that the Team England Player Partnership, the PCA and the ECB are aligned concerning the potential benefits to cricket and proposed reward structures of our negotiations with Sir Allen Stanford.

“The discussions with the ECB centrally contracted and the England Twenty20 squad are one of the final parts to complete our agreement with Sir Allen which will benefit all areas of cricket.”