By Mike Sheahan
First published in The Age on May 31, 1979
Packer emerges cricket’s king
The Australian Cricket Board and the Kerry Packer Empire have joined forces in control of the game in Australia for at least the next 10 years.
Kerry Packer, with his children James and Gretel Packer.Credit: Trevor Dallen
The ACB and Mr. Packers PBL Sports Pty. Ltd. yesterday officially completed the agreement which ends cricket’s bitter administrative division of the past two years.
In an official board statement released in Melbourne yesterday, ACB chairman Bob Parish said: “The board has granted PBL Sports Pty. Ltd. the exclusive right, for a term of 10 years, to promote the programme of cricket organized by the board and to arrange the televising and merchandising in respect of the programme.”
Mr. Packer’s Channel 9 network has already secured the rights to first-class cricket in Australia for the next three years, and will just as certainly retain the for the following seven years.
PBL Sports is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd., a member of the Packer Consolidated Press Group.
World Series Cricket. Denis Lillee bowls a bouncer to Andy Roberts.Credit: The Age Archives
The agreement between the ACB and PBL will be lodged with the Trade Practices Commission “at the earliest opportunity.”
While Mr. Parish made the official peace announcement at Cricket House mid-afternoon, Mr. Packers was in the United States on a golfing holiday with his close friend Jack Nicklaus.
Mr. Packer was represented by World Series Cricket managing director Lynton Taylor, now official title PBL Sports managing director.
Australia will return to full strength in Sydney on November 27 for the first game of the $125,000 Benson and Hedges World Series Cup one-day series.
The series will comprise 15 matches between Australia, England and the West Indies, although the West Indian participation is yet to be confirmed.
Ian Chappell, John Cornell, Sir Garfield Sobers and Kerry Packer at a press conference about the first season of World Series Cricket.Credit: The Age Archives
Ironically, the ACB’s 1979-80 programme will start with a triumph for Mr. Packer with the match to be played under lights.
The first of an expected six Tests – three against England and three against the West Indies – is due for Brisbane from November 30.
Although the programme is subject to change, Melbourne will be the only city to see Tests against both visiting countries. The first Melbourne Test is due to start on December 28 and the second on January 18.
The board’s invitation to the West Indies is conditional on India’s agreement to defer for 12 months its scheduled three-Test tour of Australia.
The ACB-WSC marriage, inevitable for five weeks, was formalized at 3:34 p.m. yesterday in the shadow of the MCG when Mr. Parish told more than 20 Press, radio and television reporters from three States: “I am making this statement on behalf of the Australian Cricket Board…”
World Series Cricket at the Sydney Showground, Max Walker congratulates Ray Bright after a run out. Credit: Purcell
The statement confirmed the ACB would resume as the sole promoter of cricket in Australia.
WSC will no longer promote games in any country during the term of the agreement, but the WSC logo will be worn by Australian players in one-day international matches.
When Mr. Taylor was asked about the WSC’s fate, he said: “We have no regrets.”
Who won?
“I don’t think either side won. I think the game of cricket has won… it’s peace and honor,” Mr. Taylor said.
“I expect the players have come out of it extremely well.”
Both men refused to discuss financial matter relating to the settlement, but the WSC exercise is believed to have cost Mr. Packer up to $12 million.
The WSC payout will continue, too.
Mr. Taylor said WSC had or would meet all obligations in contracts with 68 players from Australia, the West Indies, Pakistan, England and South Africa.