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World Series Cricket (WSC) was a professional Cricket competition from 1977 to 1979 , set up by the late Kerry Packer in opposition to the "official" international competition. World Series Cricket drastically changed the nature of cricket, and its influence continues to be felt today. The series had its genesis through a combination of two main factors - the fact that players were not paid sufficient amounts to make a living from cricket, and that Packer wished to secure the exclusive broadcasting rights to Australian cricket, then held by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . After the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) refused, Packer set up his own series, clandestinely signing agreements with both Australian and foreign players, most notably including England captain Tony Greig , Australian captain Greg Chappell and former Australian Captain Ian Chappell . Ian Chappell had particular conflict with ACB board member Sir Donald Bradman . Packer was aided by businessmen John Cornell and Austin Robertson, both of whom were involved with the initial setup and administration of the series. "SUPERTESTS" Shut out of traditional cricket venues, games were organised at Australian Rules Football venues like VFL Park and various showgrounds, using "drop-in" pitches. The first WSC game, a "Supertest" featuring an Australian eleven versus the rest of the world, began at VFL Park on December 2 1977. The standard of the cricket was excellent, but at first the public did not pay it great attention. The "official" Test match played in Brisbane at the time, and featuring a considerably weaker Australian team led by the long-retired Bob Simpson , attracted far more spectators. However, when WSC One-day matches began, featuring matches under lights, players wearing coloured clothing, and a white ball, crowds arrived in droves and Packer's experiment began to succeed. THE LEGACY WSC changed the game in many, many ways. It brought instant replays, a wider variety of camera angles, but most notable was the placement of a camera at each end of the Pitch so no matter what end the Bowler was running in from, the Batsman 's shot was always visible - an innovation of Packer himself who insisted he did not want to see "batsmen's bums". Night matches have become very common in most nations, and one-day cricket has become the most widely followed form of the game (though this could be threatened by Twenty20 cricket). Players are full-time professionals, and at least in the larger cricketing nations are very well-paid, mainly through television rights; broadcasters now have a huge say in the running of the game. However, the traditional form of the game, Test Cricket , is still played around the world, and in recent seasons has challenged one-day cricket for the interest of the public. Kerry Packer described his involvement in World Series Cricket as "half-philanthropic". A compromise was reached in 1979 between the ACB and WSC. It allowed Packer, through the PBL company, to dictate the organization and scheduling of Australian cricket. The division between the ACB and WSC was felt well into the 1980's, especially between players Dennis Lillee , Rod Marsh , and Kim Hughes . Hughes later led a rebel squad to South Africa in 1985. Many of WSC's players fitted back into the official Australian side, though a handful of players from outside WSC remained at the highest level, most notably Allan Border . The ACB continued to use the name " World Series Cup " to describe the one-day international tournament it held during each summer, usually involving Australia and two other international teams. The name was used until the late 1990s. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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