But they must defeat England in a proposed multimillion-dollar Twenty20 match in the Caribbean, bankrolled by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford.

The possibility of the winners-take-all $20 million match taking place during England's tour of the West Indies next year, was heightened this week after Sir Allen held "very positive and constructive" talks with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke in London.

Following Tuesday's meeting at Lord's, Clarke said England was "very likely" to take up Sir Allen's lucrative offer to play the one-off match.

"We did see Sir Allen – a date has not been fixed for when anything will be played, or what format it will take this year or going forward into the future," he said on the BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"[But] I think that match is very likely to take place. Sir Allen is doing a huge amount for cricket in the West Indies and we are keen to help things develop there," added Clarke.

In a statement, the ECB also said the meeting with Sir Allen was held "with the full knowledge of the West Indies Cricket Board" but noted detailed proposals will be submitted and further discussed next month.

"We need to confirm a lot of things with our friends in the West Indies. There is not a specific date at the moment and no specific structure at this time," Clarke said. (EZS)