England players stand to win $1million each after Sir Allen Stanford launched his revolutionary Twenty20 matches against a West Indies XI. The American billionaire was at Lord's to launch the five-year scheme that will see one-off matches take place at his own ground in Antigua, the first being this year on November 1. Each Twenty20 contest will have a winner-takes-all prize fund of $20 million, with each player picked in the starting XI getting $1 million apiece. The rest of the players in the squad who don't participate will share $1 million, with the coaching staff also earning the same to split between themselves.

The remaining $3.5million will be shared between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the West Indies Cricket Board.

"It is one night, winner-takes-all 20 million dollars," Stanford announced. "The winner goes home happy, the loser goes home unhappy."

"I don't think I'm giving it (the money) away. I'm investing it in cricket's future in the West Indies. As everybody knows we are in a bottom of a trough right now.

"I've been in the Caribbean for 26 years, when you see something that you love so dearly -the glue that binds us together - you want to do everything you can to lift it back up.

"We had to do that by creating something that has never been done before ans take the sport of cricket in the Caribbean to a professional level." 

60% Better Euro 2008 Betting Odds at Pinnaclesports.com - Bet now!