'Ludicrous' prize proves a distraction, says Swann

Around the swimming pool at England's swish resort hotel yesterday it took a 29-year-old cricketer with a mild reputation as a Jack the Lad to see what legions of mature, grey suited administrators have failed to grasp.

"It's a lot of money we're playing for and in the current climate it's a ludicrous situation that we find ourselves in," said Graeme Swann, England's engaging, off-spinning all-rounder. He was referring to the star match in the so-called Stanford Super Series, England v the Stanford Super Stars, which takes place on Saturday with $20m at stake, $13m of it for the winners.

"Either way you're in a privileged position financially because as 12th man you get a quarter of a million things which is ludicrous in the scheme of things."

Related articles

• ECB order review of Stanford Series
• Pietersen wants Stanford Series to be over
• Pietersen's power wins a cliffhanger for England
• Search the news archive for more stories

The discomfiture of England's players at being involved in this mission is plain to see. They recognise that this is an oddball series with a surreal conclusion and that its cricketing merit on a scale of one to 10 is between nought and one.

That state of mind is not affecting the officials who arranged this piece of business. At the match between Middlesex and Trinidad & Tobago the other night, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, David Collier, sat laughing alongside the man himself. At one point they touched hands in the way of batsmen after a boundary and, oh, how they laughed. If the piece of business was smart the cricket before them was dreadful.

Whereas Swann said: "You've got to be humble about this. There's certainly no way if you win you want to be doing cartwheels and waving your shirt around. That would make for a bit of resentment and it should."

Swann's status has changed because of the slow pitch. Spinners, always important in Twenty20, have become invaluable and suddenly Swann, who was in the squad but not the team, has a chance of picking up a cool $1m. He was picked last night and is clear favourite to start in the big one on Saturday. But his perspective is admirable despite conceding that, for him, the cash would be life changing.

"When I wasn't playing the money didn't come into it. Not being in an England shirt meant the most because I had eight years out and I want to play. This is a very strange position. I don't think anybody was going to turn it down and it's not up to me to say where and when we play." The inference was that if it had been this might have been given a wide berth and he added: "When the game was first announced I don't think anybody took it seriously, least of all the players."

England decided to make two changes to the team that was slow out of the blocks in beating Middlesex on Sunday. Ryan Sidebottom's calf precluded him from playing and James Anderson was also left out. There were sound strategic reasons for both their replacements, Swann because the ball is turning, Stephen Harmison because banging it in fast and slightly short has yielded rewards.

The lights and their possibly catastrophic effect on the outcome continue to worry players. "It might be harder to come on as 12th man than doing your bowling and batting," said Swann. "Coming on as 12th man in the last two overs and finding yourself under a skier could be real hard work under those lights."

Hard work whose existence becomes harder to justify.

WAGs still in awkward spot, despite apology from Stanford

The heat was taken out of the billionaire groping story yesterday. Privately (very privately) England's players might have been seething about the manner in which Sir Allen Stanford interacted with some of their wives and girlfriends, but yesterday they were publicly magnanimous in accepting his apology.

One of the wives of the England players nearby said she cringed when she saw what was happening and another onlooker said it was "hide behind the sofa time" because it was so unbearable to watch.

Most of the England party at the Stanford Super Series have brought their partners, who were alarmed to find themselves on television during England's opening match against Middlesex on Sunday being fawned over by a billionaire most of them had never met. The pregnant wife of England wicketkeeper Matt Prior was seen perched on Stanford's knee. They are desperate not to be seen as WAGs, but with a camera being pointed at them and a man who could make their partners rich they were uncertain how to react.

There is another point which compounds the difficulty of the situation. As Graeme Swann smilingly put it: "Someone said he walked round as if he owns the place." There is a good reason for that: he owns the cricket ground and a lot more of Antigua besides.

Stephen Brenkley