McGrath predicts Antigua mayhem

1:40pm Tuesday 28th October 2008

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“I think we might see a few more mistakes than normal,” was Anthony McGrath’s prediction for the Stanford Twenty20 Super Series in Antigua.

Yorkshire’s new captain was speaking prior to lift-off in the Caribbean for an event which was expected to feature a week of the best demonstrating their silky skills with bat, ball and in the field.

Unprecedented riches of $20million await the winners of a one-off game between England and Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford’s Superstar XI on Saturday night.

But instead we have witnessed the likes of Kevin Pietersen demonstrating his impression of butter fingers, while Andrew Strauss has shown that he cannot catch a cold!

“There is going to be a lot of pressure on the players,” said former England international McGrath.

“I know they are playing it down in the press but when there is that kind of money on a game it is going to be in the back of your mind.

“If it comes down to the last over, which a lot of Twenty20 games tend to do, there will be a few nervous individuals.”

Despite the nerves and the pressure, McGrath – who had a sparkling domestic Twenty20 competition with Yorkshire – would love to be there.

“It would be a fantastic event to be involved in, that is for sure,” he said.

“It is something that has created huge interest around the world, so I am really looking forward to seeing how it pans out.

McGrath says Saturday night’s cash bonanza will be three hours of “mayhem”.

But the 33-year-old all-rounder was expecting fours and sixes galore, not dropped catches and batsmen scratching their heads because they cannot fathom the desperately slow Stanford Cricket Ground wicket.

“I think if the game were over five days, some of the euphoria surrounding it all would calm down after one or two days,” said McGrath.

“But when it is Twenty20 cricket and over in a few hours, it is going to be absolute mayhem.”