Stanford leaves West Indies board out of pocket

	The fallout from the Stanford scandal could affect the WICB more than it cares to admit © The Nation

The West Indies Cricket Board has not been paid the US$3.5 million fee owed to it from the Stanford 20/20 for 20 tournament last November, Cricinfo has learned.

On Tuesday, Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, indicated that his board had received its share of the proceeds. However, a source close to the WICB told Cricinfo that Allen Stanford had held back from settling with it because of the contractual row between the WICB and Digicel which preceded the event.

The news will put pressure on WICB president Julian Hunte who insisted on Wednesday that the Stanford debacle was a setback for West Indies cricket but said it didn't threaten its existence or functioning. "To all intents and purposes, the West Indies Cricket Board is not dependent on Stanford for its financial viability," he said.

However, it is now unlikely to receive the US$3.5 million and also faces having to pay Digicel's costs in last October's arbitration hearing. It is also possible that Digicel might invoke clauses in its contract entitling it to claw back money as a result of the abandoned Test at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium.

The board only has two sponsors, Digicel and Scotia Bank, and although the Digicel deal does not expire until September 2012, sources indicate that the company will start taking a more aggressive attitude towards the WICB who it believes has consistently undermined their position as principal sponsors, not least in the lead-up to the Stanford 20/20 for 20.

Insiders suggest this might include putting pressure on the executive to make way for a new group untainted by recent events.

It might not be just the board who are left in the lurch as it is reported that some of the West Indian players who scooped the US$1 million-a-head jackpot have not been paid.