CATEGORY:SPORTS
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By Wallace J.A (Inside Grenada correspondent)

GRENADA – A twenty-man Stanford superstar team has been selected by the West Indies Cricket Legends on Monday August 14 to contest a much-anticipated 20/20 game against South Africa later on this year. The winner of this match will get a whopping US$5 million purse.

The inaugural Stanford 20/20 tournament culminated in an exciting game on Sunday last between Guyana and Trinidad. Guyana emerged champions in this match, clenching victory in the penultimate delivery of the game.

Four Grenadians were selected in the 20-man team to travel to South Africa: Rawle Lewis, Dennis George, Andre Fletcher and Nelon Pascal. The Grenadian 20/20 team made it to the semi-final round of the tournament but were knocked out of the competition by the formidable Guyanese team, the team which went on to win the tournament. Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Keith Mitchell along with members of his cabinet expressed happiness over the selection of the four Grenadians on the “All-Star” team and wished the cricketers all the best.

The full squad reads: Carlton Baugh, Pedro Collins, Esuan Crandon, Narsingh Deonarine, Mervyn Dillon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Dennis George, Wavell Hinds, Rawl Lewis, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Nelon Pascal, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor and Tonito Willett. The reserves are: Kelbert Walters, William Perkins and Kieran Powell.
The Stanford 20/20 has succeeded in meeting all of its objectives, foremost of which was to rekindle a passion for West Indies cricket, especially among the young population. People from around the Caribbean found themselves glued in front of their television sets to look at the new, fast-paced, exciting version of the cricket game whenever matches were being played.

The tournament involved some 18 West Indian countries. This gave some countries without a rich cricketing history the chance to become involved in the game of cricket. Of paramount importance, however, was the fact that the Stanford 20/20 helped to expose new and exciting talent that may not have been seen by regional and worldwide viewers in the absence of such a tournament. The selection of Andre Fletcher, Dennis George, Nelon Pascal and a number of other cricketers to go to South Africa was made possible through this tournament.

The tournament is expected to be an annual one and already, many countries are putting structures in place that will enable them to compete more effectively and win the massive purse that will be up for grabs next year.