By the mid 1970s, international cricketers were finding it increasingly difficult to fulfil their sporting commitments and keep earning a living wage. Widespread anger and dissatisfaction amongst the world's best players paved the way for the emergence of Kerry Packer's World Series competition.
This little presentation has sampled clips from the ABC Australia series, Cricket in the 70s / Cricket in the 80s, as key figures discuss events leading up to, and establishment of, the rebel competition.
The road to eventual reconciliation with the cricket establishment would be rocky, with WSC players facing bans from their own national and even local teams, and major high-stakes legal actions fought.
The short-lived WSC competition had dramatic implications in terms of how the game was to be televised, played and marketed. Kerry Packer's Australian Channel Nine television network secured exclusive television rights from Australia's public broadcaster (ABC), and only lost the rights in 2018 after nearly 40 years, to a joint agreement between rival Seven Network (free-to-air) and Foxtel (subscription).
Channel Nine put a big effort and serious funding into their cricket broadcasts, and many of their early initiatives and innovations, including on-field sound and the use of multiple cameras, were embraced by other networks around the world. Packer himself remained intensely loyal to key WSC people, including Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell and Tony Greig, all of whom enjoyed long careers at Channel Nine.
There is a brief piece on the fortunes (or misfortunes) of those who continued to play in the ACB national team here;
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