Allen Stanford jailed for 110 years in fraud case
Allen Stanford, the disgraced Texan financier who came to embody English cricket's most embarrassing alliance, has been sentenced to 110 years in jail for one of the biggest frauds in history. He was convicted in March on 13 of 14 charges of defrauding investors of more than $7 billion (£4.5 billion).
Stanford was hailed as cricket's American sugar daddy when he bankrolled an international cricket tournament in Antigua that promised to transform cricket finances in England and West Indies and, in the eyes of ECB executives, provide a rival to the burgeoning Indian Premier League.
But his financial empire collapsed under an investigation by United States regulators. Since his arrest in 2009, he has spent three years in jail without bail. Stanford, whose trial was delayed on health grounds after he was beaten up by prison inmates, has always denied his guilt and told the District Judge David Hittner at his sentencing hearing: "I did not defraud anybody".
Stanford's statement lasted around 40 minutes as he stuck to his claim that he did not run a Ponzi scheme - a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from profit earned by the individual or organization - and that his financial affairs only collapsed once investigations into his affairs became known.
He told the judge: "I'm not here to ask for sympathy or forgiveness or to throw myself at your mercy. I did not run a Ponzi scheme. I didn't defraud anybody."
Prosecutors had asked for a 230-year sentence, with defence lawyers arguing for a lenient term of 44 months.
It was all a world away from the night in 2008 that England and West Indies fought out a Twenty20 match in Antigua for a winner-takes-all prize of £20m. Stanford socialised in a touchy-feely fashion with England players' wives, waved to the crowds, entered the dressing rooms at will, and finished the night with what was virtually an impromptu cabaret.
The deal had been publicised in ostentatious style as Stanford was allowed to land his private helicopter on the outfield at Lord's, after which he presented a Perspex box filled with $20 million in prize money in front of smiling ECB officials.
Stanford signed a five year deal with the ECB worth $100 million in total, an episode from which some believe English cricket has never entirely recovered. But financial experts have repeatedly suggested that his real victims are the investors, whose estimates suggest have received back about 5% of their investment. Cricket, presenting itself as victims in a highly-complex case, has not returned a penny.
In Antigua, where financial regulation was relatively lax, Stanford had a private terminal at the airport, was one of its biggest employers on the island and was said to be worth more than Antigua's GDP. He was knighted in 2006 but after the extent of his fraud was revealed he was stripped of the title.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
Perera has potential to be Sri Lanka Test regular - Ford
Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has said allrounder Thisara Perera could establish himself in the Test side, if he can replicate the bowling form he showed in Saturday's ODI against Pakistan with more consistency.
"With the talent he has got and the way he bowled [on Saturday], there's no doubt he can be a regular Test player," Ford said. "His work ethic is good and he knows the areas he has to improve on. I am sure, with the many years he has got ahead of him, he will become a very effective Test player.
"He is a still a young man and hits the ball extremely hard. He is working harder on his ball-striking ability. [Here] he showed the best control he has shown with the ball since I have been involved with the team. That's something the bowling coach has worked hard with him upon, and he has got better and better."
If it was Perera's 6 for 44 that won the match for Sri Lanka, it was Dilshan's unbeaten 119 off 139 balls that set up the total that allowed Perera to apply pressure on Pakistan. That, Ford said, was a well-paced innings. "What he [Dilshan] did was to work hard through the new ball [phase], and then he was able to capitalise in the later stages of the game.
"He worked extremely hard on that knock and that laid the foundation for us to get the total we eventually got. He had to work hard as the Pakistan attack one of the best in world cricket. This one is going to be rated as a special knock in his career."
Sri Lanka had lost the first ODI by six wickets, after scoring 135 for 8 in the rain-affected, shortened game. Following that performance, Ford said, Saturday's show was commendable.
"The cricket that we played was superb. We were obviously down and disappointed with what happened the other day. There was lot of chatting and thinking done during the last two days, and the hats off to the guys for the character they have shown."
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Best's great day brings West Indies cheer
Tino Best, whose career as a Test batsman was previously encapsulated by Andrew Flintoff's "mind the windows" jibe at Lord's eight years ago, struck back with a world record innings by a Test No. 11 on his return to the West Indies Test side, a fantastical affair that shattered England's faint chances of winning the Edgbaston Test in the process.
In the innings of his life, all that was lacking was the first century by a No. 11 batsman in Tests. He fell attempting a wind-up over long-on that he envisaged would clear the ropes and give him that historic hundred, only to be deceived by a slower ball by Graham Onions and edge to England's captain, Andrew Strauss, running backwards from slip. By then everybody outside the England dressing room must have been willing him to make it. Best scored 95 from 112 balls in a last-wicket stand of 143 - the highest in West Indies Test history and the third best of all time. He is now the proud holder of the highest score by a No. 11 in Test cricket, outdoing Zaheer Khan's 75 for India against Bangladesh in Dhaka eight years ago.
England were lethargic in mind and deed, all talk of a whitewash abruptly silenced as West Indies added another 146 to their overnight 280 for 8. That lack of vigour permeated their batting in turn as West Indies followed up with three wickets by tea. Alastair Cook fell across the crease to be lbw to Ravi Rampaul (a wasted review by England), Jonathan Trott chopped on as he tried to guide to third man and Strauss, who had been struck on the hand earlier by a waist-high full toss by Best, edged him to first slip at the start of his second spell.
It was left to Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell to bring some perspective in a fourth-wicket stand of 137 in 30 overs, an untroubled partnership interrupted by two contrary stoppages for bad light and ended by Marlon Samuels, who enticed Pietersen into guiding to slip when he had made 78 from 81 balls.
Sunil Narine, an unconventional spinner with a jaunty, rhythmical action and a Tintin quiff, called up for a Test debut after a successful IPL campaign, had Bell, on 20, dropped at short leg on the verge of tea. Bell reached 76 not out by the close, but Best, fittingly, had the last word by bowling Jonny Bairstow with a fast, full delivery to add to his troubled introduction to Test cricket.
But the pitch still favours the batsmen and even though England face additional pressure from a follow-on figure reduced to 150 runs because of the time lost to rain, leaving them 56 runs short, a draw seems inevitable.
West Indies' morning runs were created chiefly by Best's mayhem - so prolonged that the wicketkeeper, Denesh Ramdin, who had battled through the second new ball to be 60 not out overnight, made a second Test hundred that he could have barely deemed possible after the ninth wicket fell to the third ball of the morning.
Ramdin moved from 98 to 99 in unfortunate fashion when he struck a straight drive off Steve Finn against the bowler's-end stumps but in the next over he flicked Tim Bresnan to long leg to add to the hundred he also made against England in Barbados in 2009.
When he reached three figures he yanked a message out of his pocket and shook it meaningfully towards the commentary boxes. "YEH VIV TALK NAH," it said. The scrawled note appeared to be aimed at criticism made by the great West Indian Viv Richards who had remarked after the second Test at Trent Bridge that Ramdin's career had deteriorated markedly. Ramdin's ability to respond when riled rather proved Richards' point about under achievement.
The windows remained intact for Best, but his ebullient innings knew few bounds as he joined his fellow Barbadian Wes Hall as only the second West Indies No. 11 to pass fifty in Test cricket. He was only the third No. 11 to make 50 against England in a Test, following Fred Spofforth of Australia and Bert Vogler, and the first to manage it for more than a century.
Best, who was called up as a replacement in the Test squad after injury to Shannon Gabriel, began with a series of studious pushes, not quite how England remembered him, only to then embark upon a series of fulsome lofted offside drives as Onions, in particular, and Steven Finn repeatedly overpitched. When he did edge the ball, it escaped England's conservative field of two slips and a gully and they suffered for their approach. A defensive mindset has served England well but in their field placings and bowling approach they were tactically wanting.
England's fielding has also been below its best at Edgbaston. They dropped three slip catches on the opening day and Ramdin, who was overshadowed by Best for the first hour, was missed on 69 by Kevin Pietersen at gully, a fast catch and the third time in the match that Finn had seen a chance dropped in the cordon off his bowling.
Graeme Swann was introduced with Best on 37 and twice in his first over he rocked back to drive him through the covers with panache. A hearty slog against Tim Bresnan, a former Yorkshire team mate who gazed at the disappearing ball lugubriously, took him to 49 before he brought delight to the West Indies players on the dressing room balcony by scampering a single into the offside to reach 50, a moment he celebrated in exuberant style.
Best's forays provided entertainment for a sparse Birmingham crowd as England's grouchy summer showed no signs of abating. England seemed to have surrendered to the widespread assumption that the washed-out first two days, allied to another poor forecast for the final day, had consigned the third Test to a draw.
It had all seemed straightforward for England when they struck with the third ball of the morning, Finn seaming one away at fullish length against Ravi Rampaul for Matt Prior to take the catch. In the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, both rested, England's bank of pace bowling resources ahead of the South Africa series later in the summer had been duly confirmed, only for Best to sweep aside any complacency.
Having miraculously stuck around long enough for Ramdin to reach 100, Best cast aside what few his inhibitions he had. His first six took him into the 80s, a length ball from Bresnan that he slapped against the sightscreen. "Play for me now," he shouted at Ramdin, his visions growing of his own extraordinary Test century. On 82 not out, he called for a chest guard, in anticipation of a barrage of short balls from Finn from around the wicket.
With nine wickets down, the lunch interval was extended for half an hour, a boon for Best, who was 12 runs short. Onions returned, angular and stern faced; Best's round face awash with smiles. A leading edge almost lobbed up to Trott on 93, and he survived an lbw appeal against Trott the next ball. Ramdin refused an impossible single on 95 and he dashed back to his crease. But Onions' slower ball was temptation too much. He was one scythe from glory. Instead, he walked off with his face hidden in his helmet, an emotional man perhaps disguising a tear or two.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: David HoppsAwful weather means further delay
England's ambitions to inflict a 3-0 whitewash upon West Indies were frustrated by the weather as rain washed out the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston. It was the first time a full day's play in a Test in England had been lost because of bad weather since the third day of the 2009 Ashes clash against Australia, also at Edgbaston. Rain is forecast on Friday as well, raising the possibility that the opening two days of a Test in England could be abandoned without play for the first time for nearly 50 years, since an Ashes clash at Lord's in 1964.
The toss and team announcements have yet to take place, leaving Stuart Broad to face another uncertain evening as he waits to see if he will be rested alongside his new-ball partner, James Anderson.
If Broad plays, only one of Steven Finn and Graham Onions is certain of a fast-bowling spot. Finn's reputation as one of the world's most-promising young fast bowlers suggests that he is the likelier choice but Graham Onions has been in outstanding county form for Durham and his case could become more persuasive as rain takes chunks out of the game.
For West Indies, Sunil Narine is favoured to replace his fellow spinner Shane Shillingford, who England dealt with comfortably at Trent Bridge, and either Tino Best or Fidel Edwards will partner Ravi Rampaul. Kirk Edwards is expected to lose his top-order batting place after an unproductive tour.
Heavy overnight and early morning rain meant the square was fully covered when the captains should have been tossing up ahead of a scheduled 11am start. There was only a brief spell when the covers were removed before fresh rain arrived. At 3.35pm it was announced that play had been abandoned for the day.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo
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Seamers set up comfortable win for Pakistan
It turned out to be a good toss to lose for Pakistan, as their seamers, led by Umar Gul, set up a comfortable six-wicket win by keeping Sri Lanka to a paltry 135. The ball nipped around, skidded, turned and bounced alarmingly and tested the technique and patience of the batsmen, with the cloudy conditions giving the bowlers an overwhelming advantage. Three rain interruptions in the first innings did little to help Sri Lanka's cause. They struggled to build momentum and sizeable partnerships, and following a lengthy rain interruption, the overs were culled to 42, leaving very few overs in the end to accelerate.
Pakistan too were tested by a probing opening spell by Sri Lanka's seamers, but they could afford to take their time and grind it out. Subcontinent pitches aren't known to produce too many low-scoring games, and based on the evidence so far in the three games on tour, watching the bowlers have a say has been compelling.
Runs off the bat were at a premium as Sri Lanka's top four failed to reach double-digits and their combined contribution was outscored by extras. It was a struggle, not just to pick the gaps but to put bat on ball. Sohail Tanvir's angle away from the right-hander kept Mahela Jayawardene playing and missing; Gul's bounce off a good length and incutters troubled Tillakaratne Dilshan, who looked like he hadn't yet shrugged off the Twenty20 hangover. It was a battle of attrition at both ends. Sri Lanka had two of their most experienced accumulators at the crease - Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - but the seamers found ways to avert a partnership. An indipper from Gul trapped Jayawardene lbw, before Dinesh Chandimal chopped one onto his stumps without using his feet.
The batsmen may have had their wallets nicked when they walked out to bat - they couldn't even buy a run. In the first ten overs, Pakistan didn't concede a run off the bat for 26 consecutive legal deliveries. In that period, the only source of runs was 13 wides. The first boundary off the bat - there were only six in all - came in the 12th over. Any semblance of a recovery was halted when Mohammad Sami nipped out two wickets in successive overs, leaving Sri Lanka five down at the 15th over.
Rain forced interruptions in the 18th over and again after the 24th. What followed after the second interruption were two of the most productive partnerships. Lahiru Thirimanne added 25 with Thisara Perera, and doubled that with Nuwan Kulasekara. It was still a battle for survival, and the frequent interruptions didn't help Sri Lanka's bid to find momentum to accelerate. Following the third rain interval, which stretched to an hour and a quarter, Sri Lanka had only five overs to bat out. Thirimanne slogged and swished at several deliveries and managed to fetch three boundaries, including one off the final ball. Subtracting the wides, Sri Lanka would have been defending a much lesser score.
Sri Lanka managed only six fours in their innings, hitting the first only in the 12th over. Pakistan hit their first four as early as the third ball, when Mohammad Hafeez punched Lasith Malinga past the covers. Malinga soon had Azhar Ali caught off a loose drive, and he continued to create half chances by shaping the ball away from the right-handers. Kulasekara posed questions by getting the ball to cut back in - his stock delivery - and one of those breached Younis Khan's defences, leaving Pakistan at 27 for 2.
The pressure created by that dismissal led to three consecutive maidens. Misbah-ul-Haq halted a run-drought that lasted 25 deliveries with a slash past point for four. While Hafeez gave Pakistan the edge with positive shots, including a lofted off-drive for six, what prevented Pakistan from imploding was Misbah's calm presence.
Pakistan were a batsman short, so it was imperative one senior player pitched a tent through the duration of the innings, which Misbah had all but achieved. It was a pressure-free scenario for Umar Akmal to play his strokes, as Pakistan coasted home to extend their recent domination over Sri Lanka, with their ninth win in 11 games.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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