Sussex duly won by 14 runs before a packed house and the leading sportswriter of the day, Peter Wilson of the Daily Express, commented: “If there has ever been a triumphant sporting experiment, the knockout cricket cup for the Gillette Cup was that experiment.” Dexter realised more quickly than most that limited-overs cricket demanded a fresh approach and he was ruthless enough to place every fielder on the boundary in the closing stages of the first final against Worcestershire at Lord’s. The new format also appealed to the restless imagination of England and Sussex captain Ted Dexter. Nobody, though, could realistically object to the injection of new money into a domestic game in crisis as attendances plummeted in the county championship. The traditionalists shuddered and the Wisden Cricketers Almanac could not bring itself to acknowledge the competition by name, calling it instead the Knockout Cup. The great fast bowler had signed for Packer in the previous year in the justifiable belief that he and his colleagues were being paid a pittance for their efforts even though test cricket was booming in Australia. “When Mr Packer started WSC, the Australian Cricket Board said: ‘We’ll let the people be the judges’,” Lillee said. Man-of-the-match Dennis Lillee smiled at the assembled reporters afterwards.
Many more watched the game on television aided by a host of the eye-catching technical innovations already introduced by Packer’s Channel Nine. November 28, 1978, was the day the Australian media mogul gambled and won with his audacious ploy to stage a day-night one-day match illuminated by six freshly erected floodlight towers at the Sydney Cricket Ground and featuring a white ball and coloured clothing.Ī boisterous crowd estimated at 50,000 packed the famous ground to witness the WSC Australia side defeat West Indies.
#KERRY PACKER 52 MILLION WIN SERIES#
(Reuters) - Floodlights, fireworks and a spectacular Sydney sunset heralded both a triumph for Kerry Packer and his rebel World Series Cricket (WSC) and the birth of the modern one-day game. He deliberately bowled 4 wides because he didn’t want Tony Greig’s side having the privilege of hitting the winning runs. Watch Ian Chappell’s humongous wide here:ĭuring WSC, Ian Chappell brought himself onto bowl with the World X1 requiring 2 runs to win the final. Ian would not be happy two seasons later, when brother Greg would ask Trevor, the third brother, to bowl underarm in an ODI against New Zealand. Behind the stumps, Rod Marsh made no attempt to collect the ball as it raced away for four byes.Ĭhappell could not prevent Tony Greig from lifting the trophy, but could at least prevent his side the pleasure of a winning hit. No one cared, for it went towards fine-leg. He put in a slip, marked his run-up, and ambled towards the bowling crease in a yellow shirt and white sweater, presumably to bowl his leg-breaks. When they needed two runs to win, Ian Chappell brought himself on. Once Asif fell, Procter stayed put, and with Imran and Alan Knott to follow, WSC World XI had little to worry. At this point, Barry Richards (101 not out) and Asif Iqbal (44) added 91 in quick time.
Zaheer Abbas made 37, but at 84-4, it was anyone’s game. Gilmour then took out Eddie Barlow for a duck. It seemed their match to lose when they then posted 219, largely due to a 134-run fourth-wicket stand between Bruce Laird (58) and David Hookes (96), but le Roux (4-44) and Imran Khan (3-60) triggered a collapse, and WSC World XI were left to chase 224. Garth le Roux (5-57) and Mike Procter (3-33) had their way, but so did Lillee (5-51) and Gary Gilmour (4-53), and WSC Australia managed a four-run lead. The final at the SCG, however, was a different proposition. There was a semi-final too, and here Dennis Lillee (2-33 and 7-23) and Ray Bright (6-52 and 1-12) blew WSC West Indies away, and Australia romped home by 10 wickets. WSC World XI reached the final in 1978/79 as well. By the time the SuperTests had progressed to the second season, few were still hooked to Test cricket, now reduced to a mismatch between a full-strength England and a severely depleted Australia. The myriad injuries perhaps hastened the popularity of the helmet in the sport. The fans were initially more focused on the touring Indians (who lost 3-2 against a third-string Australian side), but when Packer switched the floodlights on, so did the interest.Īustralians fans could now see the most devastating fast bowlers in the world bowl under lights at the greatest batters.
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