When Sir Allen Stanford arrived at Antigua airport one day in 1990, his mind was solely on his recent acquisition of the Caribbean island’s bank. What he saw that day led to a chain of events that foreshadowed a profound change in the game of cricket.

“There were these 60 acres of cow patch next to the airport and some of the airport workers in their lunch break went out there to play some cricket,” the 59-year-old Texan billionaire recalls. “Over a period of time, I acquired the 60 acres, mowed the field down and put in a pitch, and one thing led to another.”