Collingwood apprehensive over Stanford millions

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The England side stand to earn £500,000 each if they triumph against a West Indies all-stars team in Antigua on November 1, a fixture which will be an annual event for the next five years and bankrolled by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford.

But as captain Collingwood prepares for England's NatWest International Twenty20 at Old Trafford against New Zealand he admits the future money factor is a daunting prospect, he said: "That's the scary thing about the whole situation because there's not anything on the game.

He added: "It's not a World Cup, it's not the Ashes and when you're growing up as a kid that's what you dream about.

"You want to win the Ashes or the World Cup and the scary thing about this is it's just about money. None of us have been in this situation before so how people react no one knows.

"We're going into a grey area with it all, which is exciting because if you win the game it's obviously a lot of money on the other side it can be quite dangerous because if you lose it, it can be quite devastating."

Providing form and fitness last the pace, Collingwood - as captain - is one player who can be assured of his participation in the November 1 Stanford encounter and although he is naturally excited by the prospect, it is not without reservations.

"In many ways it is a bit uncomfortable because I'm not going to turn the money down, obviously," he conceded.

"This is an exciting opportunity and it's got a hell of a lot of positives as well.

"If youngsters see the direction cricket is going at the moment, I'm sure the participation in the game is going to go up which is good for the game."