Superstars in the money

Chris Gayle's Caribbean collective cruised home by 10 wickets in typically flamboyant style after England were dismissed for a paltry 99 at Coolidge.

It will not go down in the official records but this clash for cash was one of the most humiliating defeats for an England team in history.

Although England captain Kevin Pietersen opted to bat first in Sir Allen Stanford's financial bonanza, only three men reached double figures during a regular tumbling of wickets.

They managed only seven fours between them, a proportion of which were via edges - a total the opposition openers managed inside the first five overs of the reply.

Upon levelling that boundary count, home captain Chris Gayle then upped the tempo to pump up the volume levels in the stands, by turning his attention to sixes, cracking Steve Harmison over the rope at long-on and deep midwicket.

Gayle towered a third off spinner Samit Patel to overshadow his younger partner Andre Fletcher, who nevertheless laced the boundary boards himself to follow up an unbeaten 90 against Middlesex two nights ago.

If England were to have any chance of triumphing in the US dollars 20million match, they required early wickets, but two spurned run-out chances in the opening overs involving Patel and Pietersen were coupled with two television consultations going against Harmison.

First a leg-before appeal against Gayle in the first over was annulled after the ball was shown to be pitching outside leg-stump, then Fletcher survived after inconclusive replays of a waft that looped through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Failure to separate the first-wicket pair provided the licence the home team needed to provide the excitement associated with the 20-over format.