PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) - Former West Indies' fast bowler Andy Roberts has hailed the Stanford Twenty20 cricket project as a huge boost in assisting the development of West Indies cricket.

While praising the Antigua-based Texas billionaire's initiative, the Wisden Cricketer of the year in 1975 and former West Indies coach, chastised the WICB for failing to put the necessary funds in the development of West Indies cricket.

"Mr Stanford is doing it as a business, but in doing so he is helping to develop West Indies cricket, he is putting what the WICB has failed to do over the years, putting money into development of West Indies cricket," Roberts said.

Stanford is launching a multi-million dollar Twenty20 cricket series next summer in Antigua with 19 teams participating, and he is getting ready to disburse more than US$2 million in funds early next year to assist participating countries in developing their training programmes and preparing for the tournament.

Roberts, along with several other former West Indies players, is on the Stanford 20/20 tournament board of directors, and while in Trinidad briefing the national players and cricket officials, Roberts advised the WICB to grab Stanford's US$28 million venture wholeheartedly.

"I know that any company who is struggling, anyone who is putting money into that company to keep it up, should be grateful," Roberts said.

On Monday evening, the WICB issued a release on behalf of its territorial boards, triggering concern that members of the regional governing body were unhappy with aspects of how Stanford was executing his plans. The WICB territorial board's statement urged Stanford to take the path of collective participation with the WICB on the project.

The statement spoke of fear of Stanford's investment creating "duplication and division" within West Indies cricket, but Roberts appeared to have different feedback from the territories.

He told the gathering of players and officials that while the response from the territorial boards has been "sound", the WICB has been relatively silent on the developments.

"Officially we haven't heard any word from the West Indies Board, giving its blessings or that they are in full support of it."

Roberts, who claimed 202 wickets Test wickets in 47 matches at an average of 25.61 runs apiece, dispelled the growing concern in the cricket fraternity that Stanford's board and the WICB were at loggerheads.

"We're not in conflict with WICB at all, contrary to that, what we (Stanford directors) are trying to do is to help develop West Indies cricket."

Roberts substituted for former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes in Trinidad, to bring the players up to speed on the tournament.

He advised the national cricketers in attendance, including West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, to "train hard" and prepare for the US$1 million winner-take-all Twenty20 tournament in Antigua next summer.

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