WICB president Julian Hunte. - File

LONDON (CMC)

AS EFFORTS continue to save the Stanford Super Series from the scrap heap, indications are that the nightmare may have just begun for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The WICB is facing potential legal action from its main sponsor, Digicel, and the organisers of the super series, Stanford Twenty20.

But the two principals in the dispute - American business tycoon Sir Allen Stanford, the creator of the super series, and Denis O'Brien, the worldwide chairman of Digicel - have spoken and it appears that progress is being made to stage the series.

"The WICB could be sued for breach of contract in the first instance," an official insider told the CMC Sports Wire yesterday.

"In fact, the chances are higher that Digicel would take legal action against the WICB, for breach of contract, than Stanford would because they felt, as the board's main sponsor, they were not showed enough respect."

Misleading info

The Stanford Twenty20 group could also exercise the option of taking legal action for misleading them into believing that they had certain rights which they did not have.

"It is similar to the furore that the WICB had with Digicel and WIPA (West Indies Players Association) over the image rights of players," the insider said.

"What Digicel and Stanford Twenty20 are both saying, effectively, is that the WICB sold the same thing twice to two different people."

Lawyers on both sides have been busy over the last 24 hours trying to reach an amicable solution so that the series, which culminates with the Twenty20 match for US$20 million on November 1, at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua, can proceed.

"It is believed that the main issue in the agreement will be Digicel receiving branding on the Stanford Superstars shirt," the insider said.

"And that the WICB will, predictably, lose its share of the US$20 million purse which is US$3.5 million and will be redirected to some other area."

Main topic of discussion

All of this is likely to be the main topic of discussion when the WICB's directors meet today in St Lucia.

The Stanford Super Series was the result of a five-year agreement between Stanford Twenty20, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the WICB.

The first of five annual events comprises six Twenty20 matches being played at the Stanford Cricket Ground from October 25 and culminates with the historic Stanford Twenty20 match for US$20 million.

Teams participating in the Stanford Super Series are the Stanford Superstars, a team selected from the best of the regional Stanford Twenty20 competitions; England, the ECB selected national team; Trinidad and Tobago, the reigning regional Stanford Twenty20 Cup champions; and Middlesex, the reigning English County Twenty20 champions.

The series features four main warm-up matches, including a contest between the domestic champions with a total purse of US$400,000, and the Stanford Twenty20 match for US$20 million that represents the richest team prize for a single sporting match.

Each player on the winning side in the match between the Superstars and England pockets US$1 million, with the same amount to be shared between the 12th man and other non-playing members of the squad. The same sum will be split among the management team.

The remaining US$7 million was to be shared between the ECB and the WICB, but it appears the WICB will now lose its share.