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Should World Series Cricket stats be recognised?

26th November, 2015
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Cricket Australia have the golden goose, let's just hope they don't stress it out. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Expert
26th November, 2015
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The inaugural and historic day-night Test with pink balls starting today at the Adelaide Oval has monopolised all cricket discussions. Less discussed is another major news item.

Daniel Brettig wrote the following in Thursday’s ESPN CricInfo:

“World Series Cricket’s revered place in the history of the game and dressing room lore of its combatants is belatedly going to be backed up by official recognition of the players’ achievements in the Super Tests and One Day Cup matches.”

He adds that Cricket Australia (CA) has approved the inclusion of World Series Cricket statistics in the official playing records of Australian participants, including those of cricketing greats Ian and Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Len Pascoe among others.

“Going forward, players from that era will have a standalone line-item in their career statistics recognising their efforts in WSC,” Cricket Australia’s James Sutherland said.

It is believed that CA is also discussing with other Cricket Board members from England, the West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan to follow their footsteps.

I am against this. To me a Test match should be between two nations. In the past many high-quality matches have been played by a country against Commonwealth XIs and Best of World XIs.

Only one such match, ICC World XI versus Australia in Sydney in October 2005, has been given Test status. I along with Wisden statisticians were against this.

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I agree that the standard of WSC was very high indeed. But at that time Australia were playing a Test series against India in 1977-78. How can there be two official Australian teams playing cricket at the same time?

The WSC was born because Kerry Packer wanted Channel Nine to have television rights to broadcast Test cricket in Australia. And ABC TV and the Australian Cricket Board refused to comply.

Books have been written for and against the WSC emergence and how the controversy ended when Packer got what he wanted.

This is oversimplification of a complex issue as I have about 600 words and not 60,000 words to sum up the controversy.

I do realise that in ‘Super Tests’ 1977-78 and 1978-79 the Australian players Ian and Greg Chappell, Rick McCosker, Bruce Laird and David Hookes played against magnificent bowlers Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Imran Khan, Mike Proctor, Richard Hadlee and John Snow among others.

Also the likes of Viv Richards, Barry Richards, Clive Lloyd, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Roy Fredericks and Zaheer Abbas had to face the chin music of Lillee and Pascoe and the seam and swing of Gary Gilmour and Max Walker, as Marsh and Alan Knott kept wickets for the rival giants.

CA chief executive James Sutherland has stated that the recognition of WSC is overdue.

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“World Series Cricket was clearly some of the most competitive, high-performing international cricket ever played,” he said.

“Given the quality of the competition, players from that era regarded strong performances in WSC as career highlights.”

I agree. These were indeed super Tests played by super cricketers. But they were rebel matches played against the wishes of the administrators of the day.

If you include the stats of WSC almost 40 years after they were played what would stop the current organisers to take a somersault and include the figures of the rebel tours by Australia to South Africa in 1984-85?

As also stats of many other high-standard matches played by World XIs and Commonwealth XIs from 1940s onwards?

Including WSC records in cricketing annals will cause confusion galore, and I am against it.

Can you imagine the confusion? All the milestones to be changed? For example, who was the first to score 10,000 runs, take 400 wickets or 200 catches in Tests? It would be a mockery.

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For statisticians it will be a nightmare. Wisden from 1978 to 2015 will lose its status as the bible of cricket.

Please have a rethink, Mr Sutherland.

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