Remembering the Shambles That Was the Stanford Superstars Project

With a Texan billionaire, helicopters full of cash and a glamorous Caribbean setting, the Stanford Super Series seemed more like a reality TV show than a cricket contest.

Sadly for cricket lovers in the West Indies, the series proved to be more fantasy than reality following the arrest and later jailing of benefactor Allen Stanford.

Six years on, we take a look back at one of the most controversial incidents in modern cricket.

The Big Idea

LEFTERIS PITARAKIS/Associated Press

After organizing the Stanford 20/20, a domestic tournament series that featured 19 teams from throughout the Caribbean, the next step for Allen Stanford was to take his Antigua-based competition to an international audience.

While India and South Africa balked, the American businessman found a willing partner in the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

In June 2008, Stanford, the West Indies Cricket Board and the ECB announced plans to host a new five-match T20 series between England and the Stanford Superstars. Spread over five years, each game would feature a massive $20 million prize pool. Take that, Indian Premier League!

Amid much fanfare, Giles Clarke of the ECB proclaimed at the launch that “These matches will offer a chance for not only international cricketers but cricket at all levels—both here and in the Caribbean—to benefit. It is a hugely exciting time for cricket and particularly Twenty20 cricket."

Plans were also afoot for a potential quadrangular international series hosted in England. There was even talk of a Stanford team taking part in a soon to be created English Premier League. All backed up by promises of extraordinary sums of cash.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Build Up

Tom Shaw/Getty Images

There was no shortage of hype in the run-up to the first contest. A helicopter containing Stanford and luminaries such as Sir Garfield Sobers landed at the Nursery Ground at Lord's. Security men stood guard over a vault packed with $20 million. Cricketing legends Sir Ian Botham and Sir Viv Richards were signed up as series ambassadors. The publicity machine, with apologies to Spinal Tap, was turned up to 11.

When the terms of the contest were revealed, the numbers might have made even the richest Premier League footballer blush.

The 11 players on the winning side would each pocket a cool $1 million. The reserves from the winning side would share a further million, as would the backroom and management staff. For the losing team, a big fat zero.

The remainder of the spoils, $7 million, would go equally to the ECB and the WICB.

Alarm bells started to tinkle if not exactly blare on a promotional trip to Lord's. As reported by the Daily Mail, Stanford revealed that he thought Test cricket was “boring,” before adding, “Test cricket is the foundation of the game, that's where cricket came from, but Twenty20 cricket is the future. That's where the money is.”

And this game would be all about the money.

The WAGs

Stanford was filmed cavorting with the wives and girlfriends of the players during a warm-up game between England and Middlesex. Matt Prior's pregnant wife was snapped sitting on Stanford's lap.

Understandably, the England players were less than impressed with the Texan's antics. One unnamed player told the Daily Mail, “If that was my wife he'd put on his lap I would have wanted to punch him.”

Stanford duly apologized for his flirty behaviour.

"He understood that the players were not particularly pleased with the incident," a Stanford spokesman told the Daily Mirror. "He called both Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior personally and they have accepted his apology."

As it turned out, WAG-gate proved far more memorable than the multi-million dollar game itself.

The $20m Game

Tom Shaw/Getty Images

After all the hype, the game was a complete dud, totally forgettable without the inflated prize fund.

After winning the toss, England batted first and made a paltry 99 all out from 19.5 overs. Less than an hour after stepping out into the middle, openers Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher had chased down England's sorry total to give the Stanford Superstars a 10-wicket victory.

Each member of the Stanford Superstars pocketed a seven-figure score. Four of them, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sylvester Joseph and Dave Mohammed managed to do so without either batting or bowling. Nice work for a fresh-air game.

England coach Peter Moores was succinct in his judgment about his side's performance. He told a post-match press conference reported by The Guardian that his players had “learned a very expensive lesson."

The Aftermath

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

It didn't take long for Stanford's supposed golden future to sink without trace. Just months after the ill-fated game took place, Stanford was arrested on suspicion of a massive investment fraud.

The ECB was quick to cuts its ties with the alleged fraudster. In a press release, the Board's David Collier confirmed that it was terminating its relationship with the Stanford group.

"

The ECB was shocked by the charges filed against the Stanford organization and personnel earlier this week by the SEC (the United States Securities and Exchange Commission). Within minutes of the announcement, the ECB determined to suspend any further discussions with Stanford and the board has now agreed to terminate the ECB’s agreements with Stanford.

"

The man once described by Forbes magazine as America's 239th richest man was convicted in 2012 of running a $7 billion Ponzi scheme and sentenced to 110 years in jail. In October of this year, Stanford launched an appeal against his conviction.

While the ECB were left red-faced following the affair, the repercussions were far more serious for many of Stanford's investors. According to CNBC, many are still penniless after their investments went south.

In terms of the cricketing impact of Stanford, the last word should go to Stephen Brenkley. Writing in the Independent on Sunday, Brenkley summed up precisely what was wrong with the Stanford Super Series.

"

Of all the short-form matches currently being organized, the conclusion is easily reached that Stanford Superstars v England is the most offensive. It has no context as a proper sporting competition, it is neither country versus country, club versus club or invitation XI versus invitation XI. It is a rococo hybrid. It has money but nothing else going for it.

"

And for a game to mean anything there must be something more important than money on the line.