Thanks for the info

Seems bizarre in retrospect that the crowds were so small.

@@hanajinks1044 - Only if you're too young to remember how small the Test cricket crowds were in the 1970s - and WSC Supertests were the very new opposition to them. Die-hard traditionalists called it "not real cricket." It wasn't until WSC started playing ODIs with coloured uniforms that their popularity suddenly skyrocketed, and Australian Cricket Board conceded to amalgamate for its own survival. No big screen replays in those days, so watching on TV at home had that, and several camera angles (in contrast to the ABC's one camera not even changing ends).

@@brianvogt8125 The '75 and '76 summer tours both drew big crowds and hastened WSC ...l was 10 in '77...and just can't quite remember why there were hardly any there.....perhaps a lot of it was as you say...were the Pakistani's touring at the same time and we shunned WSC at first for that? As Conditioned by the Establishment and media? Lol. All l remember is that it was the most competitive cricket ever...with a few hundred there. And still "shunned" by the Establishment as far as averages go...

​@@brianvogt8125Bullshit. Seventies crowds for Test cricket were fine. WSC crowds were generally small because although the players were top class, the results were meaningless.

Was Jim Allen the guy that was always smiling? Mum always looked for him, he wasn't a regular in the team.

Waverley was a nightmare to get away from any time the crowd was over 15 and a dog.

That was amazing, I think the world got to around 1-450 after a day, and a bit , openers hit a hundred each, Barry went on to 200 and Viv ended up around 170

@@docgonzales why was Viv batting for the world eleven?

@@briansukhu4392 Some West Indies players were in the world IX for some time, before playing only for the West Indies.

@@saleemkirmani5583 Greenidge and Barry opened. Greenidge made 107 and Barry was not out for 200+ after day 1

@@boymeetsbush8232 Incredible! I wish there was some video footage of this amazing batting display. Thanks a lot.

The comment was a jab at the ABC who still had the live telecast contract from the Australian Cricket Board for test cricket. They had a camera at only one end, so in alternate overs it was difficult for viewers to track the ball all of the way to the batsman.

@@brianvogt8125 Indded. The B.B.C. had the rights to English and Welsh Cricket,but could NOT afford cameras at both ends untill 1991. When David Gower became the main presenter until 1997 when Channel Four won the rights until SKY U.K. from 2005. Many thanks for your reoly.

Such a shame VFL park is no more 😞

Partly because the ABC has never been flush with money, while Mr Packer had this tendency to see a problem & throw more cash at it until it went away and then throw some more at it. "I don't want to watch the backside of the batsmen. Put a camera at the other end." "What do you mean the camera man can't keep track of where the ball is going... Put another camera at point & also at square leg, we'll have the whole ground covered, Oh & put some in the light towers too, they'll give a different perspective."

Packer saved cricket.

Holding 4/60 off 12 and 3/72 off 12 (8-ball overs)

Yeah - walking the plank. ;)

@@D800Lover walking on the God made carpet to man made pavilion.

@@srinivaspillai4622 And God made Vivian? If you believe in God, then he made all of us. Is that the point you were trying to make?

@@D800Lover i mean to say his walk is superb.

Was that the India Australia Test match?

@@NishitShukla From memory, I think it was the touring Indians. It was a strange time back then in cricket. Although the Packer test matches were generally high quality and very competitive, the same groups of players were involved. This made the viewing repetitive. On the other hand, the Australians in the traditional test team were often not the same quality and had less experience. The touring Indians provided a new team to watch, and for a while the traditional test matches were drawing better crowds and TV viewers than the Packer tests. The thing that changed everything was when Packer 50 over one day matches started to be played half-day and half-night. The crowds poured in like crazy. This is what started talks between Packer and the Australian Cricket Board. As a teenager, I went to two of the Packer 50 over one day matches, played at a horse trotting ground in Perth. I got a bunch of autographs after the match and still have them. Tony Grieg was friendly and would talk to anyone. The West Indians would also hang around their team bus and sign autographs. The Australian team never did; they avoided the public. I remember the Aussies in their team bus entering the stadium before the match against the West Indies; no one was talking and they looked spooked. Max Walker at the back of the bus was pale as he stared out the wind. Joel Garner was a giant. After the match, he grabbed his cricket back to sling over his shoulder and I had to duck. (Those days kids and teenagers had to look after their own safety.) One teen remembered every shot played during the match, and the West Indian player he was chatting to was really impressed with his knowledge and understanding of the game. I have often wondered if he went to play for Australia years later as he knew cricket inside and out!

@@electronwave4551 hmmm.. It must have been my India, India won two and lost two, thus drawing a 5 match test series, Thomson played in those matches, Bob Simpson came out of retirement to captain the side. There was Gavaskar in our team but Kapil had not yet debuted.

@@NishitShukla That's right. India did well for a touring side. The Australian test team was not battle hardened nor as experienced as the Packer mob. But Thommo played well if I recall correctly, but he didn't have Lillee to keep up the pressure from the other end. I have often heard former Packer players say the Super Tests were the toughest matches they played. There was a lot of 'polite' hostility between the Aussies and West Indies because of the bumper wars a couple of years earlier.

@@electronwave4551 l have never liked the idea of that Packer series but I think it went a long way in transforming the game, Day Night matches, ODIs, better pay, TV rights, coloured clothing. However, the game has taken a dangerous turn now with T20 leagues, cricket is not the kind of game where you can play football type club leagues, let's hope test cricket survives this final onslaught.

I don't think there is any unfortunately. Have a look at the Gideon haigs The cricket war, he goes into detail about the lack of film from the Caribbean

The tapes were recorded over so you're not gunna see any new footage

I know one thing there was a riot @ one of them & Aussies were hiding in dressing room all geared up ready to protect themselves

anant rao ,

Viv Richards & Dennis Lillee, the 2 best players in the modern era.

@@graemealexander8804 Agree 100% Best comment on youtube.

Windies beat Australia 2-1, then the World XI did likewise. The following year it was 1-0 Australia from two Supertests, with the World XI 2-0 over Australia and 1-0 against the Windies. There was also a Caribbean tour which was 1-1 with three Supertests drawn or abandoned.

@@bullshitumpire 5-1 in 1976. That's when Greg Chappell went beserk.

How so? I thought it was terrible

@@hanajinks1044 absolutely not,the Victorian government killed this ground because they did not want it to become better than the MCG

@@dannymiller7880 But in what way was it good did you think?

@@hanajinks1044 it was just a magnificent stadium The food outlets the toilets were absolutely huge The way the ground was designed you could take your kids and they could walk right around the ground members to members and not get lost Even today hawthorn training I went there a couple years back and he has the best plane surface still , just as good as the MCG today if not better

@@dannymiller7880 I just thought it lacked the atmosphere of the suburban grounds ...but if you're taking kids then it is possibly an easier option. Even as a kid tho l preferred Windy Hill or Moorabbin to Waverley....each to their own, l guess.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hZ-Eidmc1a67qJs.htmlsi=jmbFpRA15d7r-Wo5

Roy Bennett I think SP bats are long gone/a thing of the past.

@@hyena131 and now you have new balance,and and Addis!!

@@roybennett9284 And Ton...

No it doesnt exist

Mark Richardson I wish I was wrong mate...

Been trying to get Roy's innings in Perth for years but i can't find it unfortunately

Roy fredericks 169 at Perth 1975 video

I watched it live on tv and am pretty sure I've seen highlights of it on KZfaq

Sadly there is very little of SuperTest 5 (Perth) and 6 (VFL Park) of 1977-78. Most of the stuff that exists is already on youtube. Not much of SuperTest 2, but there is already something about on SuperTest 3. SuperTest 4, exists in the Nine archives....

Hi mate I actually have the whole game BBB But bought it off Channel Nine so I'm not permitted to put it up on you tube unfortunately

Not really allowed to mate, sorry

LOL...I remember that game well. I came home and the World XI were 0/369...I thought the Aussies were in a bit of trouble...I was always a master of the understatement...anyone notice the crowd? That's the way I remember Supertests and not the Packer-hyped packed houses that Channel 9 always shows

Pen Aunger can i talk to u.

Your point Stephen? That's what they were known as at the time

Yup. And it was a 'supertest', not a test match. All because the ICC owned the copyright on the terms.

Yes, it was the Victorian Football League's main venue, designed to NOT have a cricket pitch in the middle. Nevertheless, the best-attended football matches were (and still are) held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground due to its much larger capacity. These Supertests were in opposition to Test cricket, so WSC was blocked from renting any main cricket stadium at the time.

Yes! It operated as an Australian Football venue from 1970-2000. The VFL/AFL played matches there until 1999, the last match played there was the 2000 VFA/VFL Grand Final. It sat neglected for several years until it mostly demolished. Part of the main members stand was kept as was the field, AFL club Hawthorn use it as their home base now. VFL Park or later known as Waverley Park had a capacity of 77,000 although its record was over 92,000 in 1981. It hosted the 1991 AFL Grand Final between Hawthorn and West Coast.

Yes. It would be the proving ground for the drop-in wicket.

Ofc these wickets were covered.

Those years, wickets were not covered. Also three days, continuous play, one day break and followed by two days

@@rameshbalan7953 Yes, tests had a rest day, but the wickets in Australia in the 70s were definitely covered.

Yesx theycstartedcfurst but not in 70s

...only after breaking a batsman's jaw.

That was a very closely-fought series that India could've won. Gavaskar was brilliant.

@Nick He was a little quick off the draw - almost as if he made the decision the over prior!

Only Rod M went up quicker and that required slow mo verification

That's the nature of cricket. His day was finished. If you play tennis, you get to stay a while, even if you lose 6-0.

Could be worse ... you could be run out without facing a ball. Saw that happen to David Hookes in one of his comeback tests, against Kiwis at SCG in '85. To his credit he responded with a gutsy knock in second innings that helped win test.

Chappelli would have had a say in bothams decision

Gooch wasn't good enough and Botham was yet to make his debut.

Botham was loyal to England

I don't actually remember whether they had adverts, but it would have made good sense to refrain during this formative stage. Kerry Packer was already swimming in money, and they were competing against the test cricket telecasts on the ABC (Australia's non-commercial broadcaster).

@@brianvogt8125 I think they only had Commercials at the end of every over and when wickets when Channel Nine offically won the rights from the A.B.C. in 1979.

@@garrysimpson1395 Yes, by that stage all telecast cricket (especially ODIs) had a bigger following than ever before, so advertising revenue was huge. WSC had actually outbid the ABC for the previous ACB contract, but the ACB awarded it to the ABC because they thought commercial interests would ruin the gentleman's sport.

@@brianvogt8125 Looking at the modern sport of Cricket today,perhaps the A.B.C. were right after al.

@@garrysimpson1395 No, WSC was right in its time. Since Kerry Packer died, cricket left the Channel 9 network, and various forms have drifted to the 7 & 10 networks. Particularly with the advent of 20-20 competitions (IPL & T20), it's suffering badly from over-exposure. Spectators demand hyper-action, but mental depression has never been so prevalent in the general community.

When WSC first started, people were skeptical. It took a little while, but people started realising the standard of cricket was better than the official series between India and Australia and soon started turning up to matches.

@@jugheadsrule The India-Australia series in 1977/78 really annoyed me as that was our best chance of smashing Australia in 20th century; Laughable team apart from Thommo who too was coming after his infamous collision with Allan Turner..,,,

@@kunalsingh3121 Bob Simpson was around 41 and recalled...it was very competitive cricket tho and India could've won that series ...Tony Mann still doesn't have to buy drinks in this country. Gavaskar was absolutely brilliant in that series.

@@hanajinks1044 Yes you are right; though it was competitive but Australia were indeed a pissweak team in 1977 series; There 15 premier players were away due to Packer.. Gavaskar was indeed brilliant avg 50 in that series but was aided by that depleted attack as well; its pitty Viv's aggregate against top Australian side didnt get in his official stats while Vishy and Sunil made merry in those 3 years a lot against depleted Windies and Aussie sides..,,,Sunny was also relieved that his nemesis Dennis Lillee wasnt there who humbled him both times they met in 1971 series as well 1980 series luckily for him 1971 World XI test status was scarpped by Wisden like that of 1970 series in UK..,,,.. At last; We should have won this series considering we drew there next time in 1980 against full strength Aussie side.. Cheers .

@@kunalsingh3121 Gosh, l just had another look at the scorecards from that series... Very interesting to see JUST how weak we were...so many failed batting experiments as well. Very interesting to read what you wrote, especially about Sunny. And it really is strange that those World XI games and the Supertests STILL aren't included in official records. It was great to cast my mind back ...that partnership in Perth between Chauhan and Armanath still lives in my memory....

garry simpson They didn't, Packer lost money.

Great coverage though.Cameras at both ends of the ground still used 39 years on. Packer won the T.V. Rights from The A.B.C. in 1979? From The New Forest U.K. Thank You for your reply. GOD BLESS!

Would have made up for it the next year when they were flocking in.

Fair Point! Merry Christmas.

Packer and everyone thought World Series Cricket was a loser until the first day/night one-dayer which drew a huge crowd and a lot of interest.

Maybe 200 people

People stayed away in droves!

Typical Old fashioned proud PoM hey, Wanting to stick with tradition. it Being controversial at time, & best players going to WorldSeriesCricket, Fans chose to watch test cricket with India instead when they toured at same time. WSC Made the game seem so much more professional, as well as players earning more money, & its transition to Commercial TV. The 2nd season drew large crowds. Rest is history:

This was the most competitive cricket ever.