Players Rubbish Stanford Series As a 'garden Party'

The Stanford Super Series has come under fire from the England players, with their representative, Sean Morris, calling the multi-million dollar tournament "a garden party". Morris, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, is in Antigua for tomorrow's $20m (£12.2m) shoot-out between an England XI and the Stanford Superstars, a camouflaged West Indies team, and had been expected to talk to the players about prospective participation in the Indian Premier League.

Instead a meeting with players on Wednesday evening brought to the fore concerns about the manner in which the tournament is being conducted, with issues ranging from the on-field conditions, where the quality of the pitch, outfield and floodlights has been heavily questioned, as well as other worries, particularly the high-profile manner in which the tournament's sponsor, Sir Allen Stanford, has taken to entering the dressing room, regarded as a no-go area.

"We met last night with the majority of players," said Morris yesterday while the team were at practice, "and there is a feeling that they are pretty uncomfortable with a number of things." The pitch, which has proved slow and unreliable, resulting in low-scoring matches, and the lights, which have given problems for catchers, have been strongly criticized as unsuitable for such a high-profile encounter. "It all gives you a feeling that you are turning up for a bit of a garden party," said Morris, "which shouldn't be the case with England cricket. They are turning up for a tough game of international cricket and it doesn't feel that way.

"Instead there is a sense that the game has been devalued in terms of a contest because there is a little more luck involved on those sort of pitches. And that, mirrored with a couple of things off the field, created a feeling that it is not entirely the most professional event they have attended. Once you come to play for that sort of money you accept there are some strings attached. But whether it is the playing surface or the behavior round the dressing rooms, you expect a certain amount of professionalism when playing for England and I don't think it's been met entirely."

Mike Soper, the man Giles Clarke beat to become chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board last year, added to the mood of disenchantment with a swipe at the man who cut the deal with Stanford. "I don't know Giles Carke particularly well but I have not been impressed by what I have seen," he said. "We don't want some loose cannon flying round the world shooting from the hip. It's a titular role, about flesh-pressing. The tail shouldn't be wagging the dog."

Clarke comes up for re-election in March. Soper added: "It's unlikely I would stand next year. I'm looking forward to the presidency of Surrey. But if he stays in power I may put up against him again."

Morris is merely offering the views of those he represents. But there is a real danger as the week has gone on, of things being taken out of proportion. The much maligned pitches have not been conducive to Twenty20 but, given that the island was awash from torrential rain barely a week ago, it has been a diligent effort by ground staff to get a surface of any suitability. So too the incident involving some of the players' partners, who were depicted on television being flirted with by Stanford, something that upset the players concerned. Stanford has apologized and even the manner in which he had taken to marching unannounced into the dressing room possibly has its roots in cultural differences rather than just the ego of a man who owns the whole show. In major American sports the locker room, far from being sacrosanct, is often an open area for media. "There was an issue with the dressing room," said a spokesman for Stanford. "Sir Allen understands the sensitivities of the England players and will not encroach on the area again."

The ECB has said that it would review the Super Series and the $100m agreement with the Texan billionaire. Accusations that the game is not being run professionally are harsh, though, on an event that has been an extremely slick operation that puts to shame much of cricket staging elsewhere. "They accept it is not perfect but have a chance of winning a million bucks," said Morris. "I think they are prepared to get through it." Meanwhile Ryan Sidebottom's injured calf looks to have eliminated him from tomorrow's team.