West Indies cricket in post Stanford 20/20

The world of sport is certainly changing and in the Caribbean we are still young in our recognition of these changes and their overall impact.
The recent introduction of the Stanford 20/20 Tournament among the cricketing nations in the Caribbean is one change to the game as we have come to know it in the region and highlights the extent to which we are unaccustomed to engaging in critical analyses of the impact of change.
“Stanford brings colour to cricket”; “A new era underway in the Caribbean”; “Roberts calls for expansion of 20/20 across Caribbean”; “Stanford success highlights WICB’s woes”; “Lloyd resigns from Stanford 20/20 board”; “Going forth… with a big fat wallet”; “West Indies seek to clear the air on Stanford confusion”.
The foregoing constitutes the headlined stories that were carried on the internationally recognised website, ‘Cricinfo’, telling the rather mixed tale of awe, concern and confusion that have greeted the Stanford 20/20 cricket tournament. Some of the stories went to excesses that suggest the writers were too impressed to contain themselves. Others may well have inadvertently caused readers to be very hesitant about the way forward for West Indies Cricket.
The Barbados Nation carried a story on 23rd June 2006 that began thus:
“It’s the coming of the evolution of cricket – the Stanford 20/20 tournament to be played at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua from July 11 to August 13”.
Of course, the writer was so enthused that he ignored to inform readers that he was referring to the Caribbean, since 20/20 cricket was already known to the cricketing world and there have been major tournaments in cricketing nations for some time.
The writer also failed to inform readers that indeed the Caribbean was late in organising a 20/20 tournament.
The same writer went on:
“The bats are black, with the Stanford 20/20 logo on the front and back. The balls are orange and will offer more swing. The helmets are black and will have a blue and yellow stripe. The pads and batting gloves will have a similar design. Each player in the 19 participating teams will get a kit, and over 500 balls have been manufactured.