Stanford, A Stepping Stone To The Future

Cricket is about to embark on a brave new world and will have to face up to the ravages of riches that come hand in hand with fame and fortune.

Some relative unknowns will be shot into sporting superstardom as they battle for the largest cash prize in team sport history on 1st November.

Kevin Pietersen takes the captaincy of the England ship that sets sail into the undiscovered waters, and has handled himself amicably by warning his crew about their conduct if they are to win the $20m treasure chest.

Pietersen warned his players not to become ostentatious with their cash should they go forth and conquer the new lands, given the current state of the home and international economy.

But that will be much easier said than done as players such as Samit Patel and Luke Wright are competing for a sum of money that is three fold their annual wage for just one match.

The most intriguing comments can not be found with Pietersen however but rather the revelations of England regular Alastair Cook claiming the only motivation for the players is the money, which leads you to consider how some players will handle the occasion and themselves.

“We will see this as a warm up for next year” claimed the England opener who has an average of just 10 in Twenty20 cricket. “The actual cricket is quite unimportant, apart from financially.”

The players may lack motivation to play well for their country but they could be terminally damaging their respective Twenty20 careers.

England selectors will surely be judging the ability of the players and deciding who has the ability of making the squad which welcomes the world to the Twenty20 World Cup in England next year.

But if that were true surely some Twenty20 specialists could have been picked for the gold rush to the Americas, Graham Napier or Paul Nixon who have excelled on the domestic scene.

Perhaps the England Cricket Board also sees this as purely a financially opportunity, a chance to fund the future of England cricket, is that such a bad thing?

The obscene prize fund is not the fault of the ECB or the players, they were invited to take part in this event and who would refuse such an opportunity, to do the same job you always do for one day and for an astronomical pay rise, could you honestly shun the opportunity...honestly?

Cook is most likely trying to keep his team mates calm and keep their feet on the ground over this spectacular event and keep the players focused on what is really important.

"We can only benefit and that's a good position to be in, but when you're talking about the Stanford millions or the Ashes, there's only going to be one winner."  

It’s a great sign to see such a young cricketer focused on what he wants and not letting the glitz and glamour of what has often been remarked as a gimmick cloud his judgement.

It is exactly these characteristics and the 2,500 test runs, which make the 23 year old batsman a keystone in England’s cricketing future.

The pressure of so much money on one swing of Luke Wright’s bat, the turn of Samit Patel’s deliveries or the speed of Matt Prior’s hands could define the ability of our team, captain and selectors to focus on what is truly important to our country.

Possibly the brave new world needs to be just that, brave, as a strong and proud England team look to fight their way to the top, focused and united as a nation.