BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) - The future of the lucrative Stanford Twenty20 for 20 clash between the Stanford Superstars and England carded for November 1 in Antigua has been thrown into limbo, after Digicel filed an injunction against the Stanford Super Series.

The injunction, filed in London on Friday, relates solely to the proposed match between England and the Stanford Superstars, part of the five-year, US$100-million series.

However, Digicel is seeking to have the West Indies Cricket Board withdraw all approvals for the Stanford Super Series, which, if successful, could disrupt the annual US$20-million match.

It is understood that the court granted Digicel's application for an expedited hearing with dates set for September 18. The court also ordered WICB, Stanford and the England and Wales Cricket Board to provide a copy of all agreements by 4:00 pm today.

Digicel, in previous press communications, have indicated they had no issues with the game per se, but contended that their rights and entitlements as it related to their agreement with WICB were being ignored.

They are concerned that the deal between the WICB and Stanford encroaches on their exclusive sponsorship rights.
Digicel, the Irish telecommunications provider, has a contract with the West Indies Cricket Board which expires in 2012.

Reports suggest Stanford is close to signing on Cable and Wireless - Digicel's competitor and a former sponsor of the West Indies team - as a sponsor for the series.

The WICB's view is that Digicel's case holds no water because the team playing the Super Series is not the West Indies team, but the Stanford Superstars, over which Digicel has no sponsorship rights.

The issue was discussed over three weeks of negotiations last month but, with no solution in sight, Digicel sought to take the matter to arbitration.

The players selected for the match have been given contracts by Stanford Twenty20 and have been given a deadline of August 27 to sign off on them.

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