5 cricket facts that you have probably never heard of

#1. A rebel league that changed cricket

Kerry Packer was an Australian media mogul who wanted his Channel Nine to broadcast all cricket involving Australia. The Australian cricket board was not particularly keen on the idea and politely declined. Packer simply dug into his deep wallet and signed a majority of the top international players to create his own cricket league called the World Series Cricket in 1977. While it received a lukewarm response at first, the public gradually lapped it up to such an extent that the ACB relented and meekly surrendered the television rights to Channel Nine.

The WSC changed the face of the game in a way that even the IPL has not been capable of achieving. It introduced coloured clothing, day-night matches and the use of helmets to cricket. The players, who used to receive nominal match fees prior to WSC, were now paid handsomely by their respective cricket boards. Most importantly, the league married cricket to commerce and the game evolved into the entertainment extravaganza it is today.

There will be cricket fans who knew all these facts before reading this article. To the rest, I simply say that you are now one step closer to joining this elite group.