The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

England will warm up for their $20m (£10m) showdown with the Stanford Super Stars later this year by playing the winners of this weekend's Twenty20 Cup.

The game is one of six matches in an expanded Stanford Super Series event, which is being held in the Caribbean.

England and the Twenty20 Cup winners will also face regional Twenty20 champions Trinidad & Tobago as well as the Stanford Super Stars.

Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Durham meet in Twenty20 finals day on Saturday.

Whichever team comes out on top will face Trinidad & Tobago on 27 October, with the winners of that match pocketing $400,000 (£200,000).

The Twenty20 Cup finalists are already scheduled to take part in the planned Champions League, some time in the autumn.

Twenty20 champs set for Stanford Super Series

Although details have yet to be finalised, David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said he was confident there would be no clash and that the Champions League would still go ahead.

Stanford Super Series schedule:

25 Oct Stanford Super Stars v Trinidad & Tobago

26 Oct England v Twenty20 Champions

27 Oct Trinidad & Tobago v Twenty20 champions

28 Oct England v Trinidad & Tobago

29 Oct Stanford Super Stars v Twenty20 champions

30 Oct Rest day

31 Oct Legends Beach Cricket match

1 Nov Stanford Super Stars v England