Richardson eyes bright future

England's players will do battle for a staggering $20m prize on November 1

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Although Richie Richardson never had the chance to play Twenty20 - his attacking tendencies would have been ideally suited - he hopes the introduction of the Stanford 20/20 for 20 will inspire the next breed of cavalier batsmen in the West Indies.

When you saw Richardson in his pomp, peering out from underneath his maroon sun hat and smashing fast bowlers with powerful square cuts or brutal hooks, it is no surprise that he spent his youth launching balls from his backyard.

The forward defence had no place in the Richardson household, shunned in favour of lashing the bowling as far as possible. That attacking instinct stayed with him throughout a distinguished career where he amassed almost 6,000 Test runs.

"As kids we grew up playing a form of the game, when you play the ball you have to run," he explained as he stood on the Lord's turf. "You had to hit every ball. We grew up playing that form of the game hence why we have always produced so many aggressive, attacking players. Twenty20 is not strange for us, it's exciting and we love it."

Richardson joined a number of West Indian greats at the Home of Cricket to launch the Stanford 20/20 for 20, where England will play the Stanford Super Stars every year for five years with a $20m prize at stake each time the players take the field.

While the victorious players will be handsomely rewarded, the West Indies Cricket Board and the ECB will also receive a chunk of the cash to invest in grassroots cricket.

"We are very grateful to Sir Allen to have the vision to make such a massive investment," added the former West Indies skipper. "With him on board working with the West Indies Cricket Board it can make a big difference and maybe in five, ten or 15 years we can see a resurgence in West Indies cricket.

"We needed a shot in the arm to really get people back in love with cricket in the Caribbean and Stanford 20/20 for 20 will do that."

England will face the Stanford Super Stars in Antigua on November 1

Richardson says the signs are good with fans flocking to the recent Stanford 20/20 competitions.

"It's creating a lot of excitement for the players in the Caribbean and also the fans," he said. "When we had the last Twenty20 in Antigua and indeed the first one two years ago, we saw a lot of young kids coming out watch, a lot of females too. Months after the Twenty20 a lot of kids are playing in the backyards and the streets, just like we used to when we were kids."

Desmond Haynes was also present at Lord's, the ground where he took 184 off the England attack 28 years ago, and he echoed his former team-mate's sentiments.

"This is something cricket really needed, especially in the Caribbean," said Haynes, who hit 18 Test tons and 17 ODI centuries.

"We are about eighth in world cricket and we needed something to generate the interest there. When youngsters in the Caribbean realise they can play the game and make a living it's going to get a lot of people out there wanting to play cricket. I hope this competition will inspire a lot of West Indians to get our cricket back to the halcyon days."