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Allen Stanford may be forced to consider scrapping the winner-takes-all element of his annual $20million Twenty20 match beginning in 2010 after England’s players have reportedly rejected the idea.

According to the Mail on Sunday, they are worried about the blame implications of perhaps losing £10million to the West Indies XI through - for example - a misfield, which could ultimately impact on team cohesion. Potential rifts and injury concerns are also a factor in their resisting even an alternative idea that every player in the game is paid a £500,000 appearance fee.

It is understood the players are backed by the ECB. That would be understandable, the ECB would not want a situation whereby a player plays down an injury in order to take the cash, and then perhaps does himself more harm, keeping him out of international commitments. The players’ preference would be to spread the appearance money across the squad, with an individual’s share of the pot based on a formula determining their worth to the side based on ability and experience.

Last week Stanford’s idea hit another stumbling block when the MCC warned it would not sanction Twenty20 matches featuring Stanford’s trademark black bats.

Source:Cricket News