![]() ![]() ![]() ABC coverage versus the bone-jacketed Bernaud led commentary. Traditional whites versus brightly coloured kits. The cricket world was officially split in two. Not panicked, WSC launched as self-styled “Super Tests”, with teams including Australian XI, Rest of the World, and the West Indies. Packer’s bottomless pocket had the ruling overturned in court, but World Series Cricket could not use the word “Test match”, call the Australian team “Australia” or use the official rules of cricket. It became inevitable that the games governing body (then called the International Cricket Conference) would ban players involved in World Series Cricket from Test and first class cricket. England’s Cricket Board took particular offence and stripped Greig of his captaincy. The Packer mutiny was met with hostility from cricketing purists. Suggesting that the move may unsettle the team as his brother Greg was the captain, Packer responded: “What do you think this is a - democracy?” Players from Australia, England, West Indies, Pakistan and South Africa (then banned from the official game because of apartheid) all agreed to terms.Īustralia captain Greg Chappell, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, Pakistan’s Imran Khan, and England captain Grieg, (who also worked as a player agent) were all names on the playing roster.Īlready retired from the international game, Ian Chappell was surprised when he was approached to not only join, but to be the Australian team’s captain. Packer took it upon himself to meet with players who were growing with dissatisfaction towards the games administrators because of low salaries and increased official commitments.īy 1977, 35 of the world’s best cricket players had signed on to WSC after top-secret negotiations. While Packer believed Test cricket still had a role to play in the sport, he saw the limited overs format as the future of the game. It’s everyman for himself and the devil take the hindmost.”įormer Australia captain Richie Benaud was recruited to advise Packer on how to run WSC. ![]() “I will take no steps now to help anyone. “Had I got those TV rights I was prepared to withdraw from the scene and leave the running of cricket to the board,” Packer said. SuppliedPacker, not given an opportunity to bargain was left fuming and hurled himself into establishing his own competition. was willing to wage war to get what he wanted. What is your price?"ĭespite long-time broadcasting partner the ABC offering a contract some eight times smaller, the ACB re-negotiated a deal with the public broadcaster. In 1976, he tabled a $1.5 million, three-year offer to the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) for the exclusive TV rights of cricket in Australia.Īccording to witnesses at the time, when putting the offer forward Packer said: "There is a little bit of the whore in all of us, gentlemen. The “Packer revolution” began when the cricket-loving businessman wanted to show the sport on his commercial television station Channel Nine. However, it wasn’t always peachy for the billionaire back in the late 1970’s when he launched World Series Cricket onto the sporting arena. ![]() “Everyone in the world of cricket owes (Packer) so much,” Australian spin legend Shane Warne said at the time.įormer International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani suggested “very few people in the history of the game, either players or administrators, can be said to have changed the game, but Kerry Packer can rightly be considered someone who did just that.”įormer England captain Tony Greig was one man who rode the World Series wave and he believes cricket would be a vastly different game without Packer’s involvement. When Kerry Packer passed away in 2005 it was a chance for the cricket world to reflect and praise the way the businessman had hauled the sport into the 20th century through World Series Cricket. If you can think of any, let us know via the email address at the bottom of our latest great idea in sport: World Series Cricket. We've come up with what we think are some of the greatest innovations in sport. Just like you we love our sport and we love the big ideas folk have had that help make sport as intriguing as it is. ![]()
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