English cricket shamed by $20m game - but that won’t stop them playing in it for the next five years

Kevin Pietersen and his mates will have their cake and scoff it down too. England’s players have been appalled by the amateurish nature of the inaugural Stanford Super Series - but not appalled enough to boycott the circus next time it rolls into town. Indeed, England plan to play for dirty cash every year up until 2012.

Hypocrisy? Hell no - these men have WAGs to clothe and sports cars to buy kids to feed.

“Players will continue to commit to this event,” said Sean Morris, England players’ chief. “Nobody here would turn down the opportunity of making a million bucks — they have families to look after.”

Morris then turned on his gift horse:

“The players are pretty uncomfortable with a number of things. The wicket isn’t suitable for international cricket and the lights mean nobody can catch.

“It’s the feeling of turning up to a bit of a garden party with the game devalued as a contest. And that is mirrored by a couple of things off the field. It creates the feeling it is not the most professional event they have attended.

“Once you play for money, you accept strings are attached. But you expect a level of professionalism when playing for England. It feels like a show revolving around Allen Stanford the individual.”

Hmm, perhaps that’s because it is a show revolving around Allen Stanford - you’ve signed the sporting equivalent of a Faustian pact and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to play. Oh wait, you’re money-grabbing hypocrites. We forgot about that bit.