Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

( L - R ) Gayle, Taylor

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad:

WEST INDIES skipper Chris Gayle is among a handful of Jamaican cricketers who have the opportunity to become instant US$ millionaires in November.

Opening batsman Gayle, pace bowlers Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor along with batsmen Danza Hyatt and Xavier Marshall were named in a hefty 32-man squad, from which a final 12 will be picked to represent the Stanford Superstars against England on November 1 at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.

The overall winner-take-all prize money for the event is US$20 million, the most ever offered for a one-off team match, and each player on the victorious side will receive US$1 million.

The 'unfortunate' 12th man of that side and other non-playing members will divvy up US$1 million as will the victor's management. The remaining US$7 million will be shared between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Selection panel

Superstars chairman of selectors Sir Vivian Richards announced the squad at a special function held at the plush Hyatt Regency during a ring presentation ceremony for the champion Trinidad and Tobago side which defeated Jamaica for the Stanford 20/20 title earlier in the year.

The seven-man selection panel, chaired by Richards, included fellow Stanford legends Sir Everton Weekes, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs, Andy Roberts and Richie Richardson.

They took few risks in selecting an 'eclectic' initial squad based, according to Sir Viv, on Stanford 20/20 tournament form and previous short-game ability.

No training dates or venues were named for the squad, which will be coached by Eldine Baptiste and his two assistants, Roger Harper and Cardigan Connor, and Richards conceded the selectors' task was only going to get tougher.

"We will have to pay keen attention to how the players cope in the training camp in Antigua in the coming months," Richards said.

He also expected players who failed to make the 32 to strive to make further instalments of the event which will run for at least four more years.

"This is an opportunity for those individuals to get a little bit jealous of the guys that made the team and think that they could do so in the future," Richards said.

While it's hard to miss out on a 32-man regional squad, Leewards batsman Runako Morton and Barbadian paceman Fidel Edwards could probably be considered a touch unlucky to not be rated among the near three dozen best players collected from the Caribbean islands.

International players

It's hard to see the final cut not coming down to proven international performers. However, the exposure the likes of St Maarten's John Eugene, Aldermond Lesmond of the United States Virgin Islands, Kieran Powell of Nevis, Anguillans Monctin Hodge and Kelbert Walters and Lionel Baker of Montserrat will receive in training camps could, as the Stanford crew hopes, trickle back to their islands.

Superstars squad: Samuel Badree (T&T), Lionel Baker (Montserrat), Sulieman Benn (Barbados), Dwayne Bravo (T&T), Jonathan Carter (Barbados), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Guyana), Lennox Cush (Guyana), Travis Dowlin (Guyana), Rayad Emrit (T&T), John Eugene(St. Maarten), Andre Fletcher (Grenada), Daren Ganga (T&T), Chris Gayle (Jamaica), Chad Hampson (Antigua and Barbuda), Monctin Hodge (Anguilla), Danza Hyatt (Jamaica), Lyndon James (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), Sylvester Joseph (Antigua and Barbuda), Aldermond Lesmond (U.S. Virgin Islands), Xavier Marshall (Jamaica), Dave Mohammed (T&T), Nelson Pascal (Grenada), William Perkins (T&T), Kieron Pollard (T&T), Daren Powell (Jamaica), Kieran Powell (Nevis), Denesh Ramdin (T&T), Darren Sammy (St. Lucia), Ramnaresh Sarwan (Guyana), Jerome Taylor (Jamaica), Kelbert Walters (Anguilla), Tonito Willett (Nevis).