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Huge in Australia, short-lived in the United Kingdom. To a list that includes Vegemite, Castlemaine XXXX lager and Paul Hogan we can also add one-day international triangular tournaments.
Just as I was writing a feature on them, and how they were not-much-loved in the UK, an unexpected fan popped up.
England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said: “I have talked about having tri-series because it’s trying to replicate an ICC tournament. You go into must-win games and there is a final stage, as opposed to purely bilateral series. It could be worth another go.”
So there we have it – maybe triangulation will come back into fashion after all.
After years of short and sweet series, the Texaco Trophy running from 1984–1998, England followed a short experiment involving Sri Lanka and South Africa in 1998 with a first, full-length threesome in 2000.
Zimbabwe – who were here for the summer’s first Test series (two matches) – and West Indies (still to play five Tests) joined the hosts in a 10-match tournament.
This set-up lasted six summers, and produced quite a few memorable moments, including Nasser Hussain’s angry three fingers to his back in 2002 in an extraordinary England versus India final at Lord’s; and Bangladesh beating Australia in Cardiff in 2005.
And then it was gone. Like the TV soap opera, Triangle, the triangular format’s innings had been skimpy compared to Australia’s 29 successive editions, from 1979-80 to 2007-08, with short-lived returns in 2011-12 and ‘14-15. So why was this so?
Well, let’s first look at why England finally followed Australia’s lead.
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“I’m afraid to say Kerry Packer invented modern cricket, and we followed it,” says Terry Blake, the former commercial director of the England and Wales Cricket Board and its predecessor the Test and County Cricket Board, from 1989–2003. “Floodlit cricket, logos on stumps, names on players’ backs, coloured kit… we always eventually caught up with the Australians.”
His boss back then, ex-ECB chief executive Tim Lamb, does not quite go that far but says: “Adopting that format would have been seen as a way to get more ODIs played before T20 started of course. We would not have slavishly followed everything Australia did. There has to be a good reason for copying them. But coloured clothing in ODIs was long overdue, and the triangular concept seemed worth pursuing.
"It was the start of a new era. The summer of 1999 – the World Cup and Test series defeat to New Zealand – was the nadir but with central contracts, and the Hussain and Duncan Fletcher alliance, better times were around the corner, with those amazing victories in 2000/01 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.”
Blake adds: “The broadcasters, Sky’s Vic Wakeling and Channel 4’s Michael Jackson, liked the theme of ‘carnival of cricket’: multi-cultural cricketers playing in front of multi-cultural crowds, following on from the 1999 World Cup, so having two touring teams over together seemed to tie in with that. Sky had the ODIs from 2000–2005 (plus one Test, not at Lord’s) and were happy to give the three-team concept a try.”
Like many English fans I loved the World Series Cup in Australia, despite its somewhat hyperbolic name – how can it be the ‘world’ when it only had three countries in it?
England’s triumph in 1986-87 was beyond exciting –including Allan Lamb’s last-over heroics against Bruce Reid at the SCG; defeating West Indies in any match for the first time in my memory, and Sir Ian Botham’s brilliant brutality in the first final against Australia.
England were lousy in 1990-91 and even worse in 1994-95 (I actually paid to fly out to Australia to watch some of that – the hosts faced their own B team in the final!); but I felt the format – multiple group games, everybody playing each other three times, then a Lord’s final – would catch on here; and England’s first proper (non-World Cup) ODI kit, wheeled out then, was attractive – royal blue with white and red piping.
So the NatWest Series came into being…
It all began off rather badly for England in 2000, though, following on from their dismal World Cup 12 months earlier. Despite Marcus Trescothick making 79 on his ODI debut, England lost to Zimbabwe at The Oval. A West Indies side in clear decline lost all three of their matches to Zimbabwe, however; and Alec Stewart’s run of form, 101 against Zimbabwe at Edgbaston, an unbeaten 100 against West Indies at Trent Bridge, and 97 against Zimbabwe in the final, ensured home glory.
England were shockingly bad in 2001, however, even taking into account the standard of opposition. They lost all six matches to Australia and Pakistan. A rousing, unbeaten stand of 70 between Ben Hollioake and debutant Owais Shah at Bristol suggested hope for the future, but a Ricky Ponting century ensured victory.
Kerry Packer changed cricket in the 1970s
The hosts hit rock bottom at Old Trafford, however, with Australia bowling them out in the dank Manchester evening gloom for 86. Jason Gillespie was almost unplayable, taking 3-20 in nine overs. The viability of cricket under lights in this country came under serious consideration. Trescothick made 137 against Pakistan at Lord’s, but England still lost. That rampant Australia side beat Pakistan easily in the final, a repeat of the World Cup result two years before. One of few bright spots for England was the emergence of Paul Collingwood.
There was trouble that summer, however. A steward was injured in a match between England and Pakistan at Headingley, and Michael Bevan was hit on the head by a beer can at the final’s presentation ceremony. Fortunately, this was not a recurring issue.
A mighty India team led by Sourav Ganguly and featuring Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh triumphed in 2002 (despite falling foul of Ronnie Irani’s finest hour when he took 5-26 against them at The Oval). Tendulkar made centuries against England at Durham and Sri Lanka at Bristol. Sanath Jayasuriya also gave England a bashing with 112 from 87 at Headingley, but England did at least keep the Sri Lankans at bay to make the final.
The home side looked well-set thanks to Hussain’s only ODI ton, 115. His position at No.3, even in the side, had been questioned, and when he reached three figures he put three fingers up his back to his critics in the media centre, including Jonathan Agnew, in a thrilling/amusingly passionate moment. Trescothick also struck 109. Alas, a brilliant stand between precocious youngsters Mohammad Kaif (87) and Yuvraj (69) took the wind out of the home skipper’s sails.
England again lost to Zimbabwe in the opening match of 2003, this time at Trent Bridge, but hit back in their next game, against South Africa at The Oval, and blew the latter away in the final. Darren Gough recorded figures of 7-2-9-2 as South Africa were bowled out for 107.
England did not make the final again in 2004, missing out to New Zealand, the victors, and West Indies – despite defeating the same opposition in all seven Tests that summer. That they missed out on the Lord’s showcase exposed a faultline with the format. Australia failed to make the finals (they did best of three) only three times in 29 years, so it was less of a problem down under. England were dismissed for 147 by West Indies at Trent Bridge and 101 by the Kiwis at Durham, showing Michael Vaughan’s limited-overs side was not progressing as smoothly as his Test unit.
Andrew Flintoff was superb with the bat, scoring 123 at Lord’s against West Indies (although Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 132 ensured the tourists still won); and 106 against New Zealand at Bristol – his side lost that one as well.
Lamb and Blake had moved on by the time the last edition was played. It was a lively series. England used it to get in the mood for the eagerly awaited Ashes. A fiery encounter at Edgbaston set the tone when Simon Jones flung the ball and hit Matthew Hayden in a spurious run-out attempt, while the Australia opener was falsely accused of swearing at youngsters carrying flags in a guard of honour. That match was rained off.
England won in an aggressive display at Bristol thanks in part to a brilliant 91 not out by Kevin Pietersen, however, and although they lost to Australia at Durham, they were happy that they had made a statement ahead of the Tests. They also made 391 for 4 at Trent Bridge against Bangladesh in a taste of the imposing totals to come at that ground, with Andrew Strauss hammering 152.
Australia dropped Andrew Symonds after having one pre-match drink to calm his nerves too many the night before playing Bangladesh at Cardiff; they lost the match thanks to a superb century from Mohammad Ashraful in what is described on Wikipedia as “the biggest upset in ODI history”. England botched the final, having to settle for a tie; they needed 71 from Geraint Jones to get them to 196 for 9, after bowling Australia out for the same score.
Sourav Ganguly's celebrations light up Lord's in 2002
And then it was gone.
In 2003–05 England had also been playing three additional ODIs at the end of the summer, called ‘the NatWest Challenge’, against Pakistan, India and Australia respectively: squeezing that cash cow as ever.
It was a hint as to why the triangular format was ultimately doomed in this country.
“It was clear that some of the matches involving the two neutral countries were not selling out,” says Lamb says. “The ECB and Sky would have wanted more involving England, and it would have been disastrous when England didn’t make the final.
"In my time 80 per cent of our money was from Sky so we could not ignore their wishes. It was a shame India and Pakistan were not touring at the same time, however, as I am sure their matches would have been huge!”
Blake confirms the reasons, saying: “Sky would rather have had every match featuring England, and eventually Australia came around to this same way of thinking.”
“I thought it was quite a good concept,” Trescothick told The Cricketer, though. “Switching from one opponent to another provided a bit of variety, but I guess the success of the neutral games depended on the attractiveness of the teams. Australia v India or India v Pakistan would have been huge, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and instead, Zimbabwe were here twice and Bangladesh once.
"And when England didn’t make the final that was a damp squib. Personally, I really enjoyed it as they were my first years of international cricket, although there was a bit of a trend of me making centuries and England still losing! It took us a while to understand what the world white-ball game was all about – until last year really.”
So that was that. The triangle lost a side. It did not last long, but it produced some lively cricket while it lasted.
Australia’s triangular tournament was a sensation, however. Channel 9’s coverage hosted by Richie Benaud; the evocative New Horizons theme teeing it up; the iconic teams of commentators calling the shots (hilariously lampooned by Billy Birmingham’s The 12th Man); and the vivid pastel uniforms – Australian Gold (my friend), New Zealand’s weird beige, England’s powder blue and West Indies’ maroon: what was not to like?
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“I think I was part of 10 winning World Series Cups,” Dean Jones, the tournament’s leading run-scorer in 1986-87, 1989-90 and 1990-91, told The Cricketer just before his tragic death. “We all loved playing them… the fans loved having three teams in the country playing ODI cricket. They were always in the holidays.
"Channel 9 marketed the tournament so well. They were played in prime time at night with most venues having lights. West Indies played nearly every second year, and they were very good, their bowlers sending down four bouncers an over… the pitches were average and the grounds huge so batting wasn’t easy!
“We trained hard, we played hard, and we celebrated hard! We loved winning. I have a million happy thoughts we weren’t structured that much well I was allowed to play and develop my ODI gameplan. I wanted to hurt them in the first 15 overs then steal as many singles and twos in the middle and hunt for boundaries at the death. It was a game to show off your skills to the fullest.”
Australia did not get off to the best of starts themselves in 1979-80, the winter that saw the authorities make peace with Kerry Packer. They failed to make the final with England, back slightly reluctantly it has to be said for a second successive winter, and victors West Indies meeting instead. Mike Brearley did not endear himself to his hosts either, sticking everybody on the boundary for the final ball of a group game against West Indies to ensure a two-run win at the SCG. The same venue also saw the first official ODI under lights as Australia played West Indies.
Australia won in 1980-81, but caused an absolute furore when Trevor Chappell bowled underarm to Brian McKechnie to deny New Zealand.
West Indies were back to win it again the following winter, and there was also a victory for Clive Lloyd when he won damages against Melbourne’s The Age newspaper after they alleged he deliberately lost to Australia to ensure Pakistan didn’t make the finals.
David Gower’s 563 runs and three centuries in five matches against New Zealand proved in vain in 1982-83 as England failed to make the last two; and West Indies won it again for the next two years (being involved in the first ODI tie against Australia at the MCG in the first year), making it four out of four for them.
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England’s first triumph came in 1986-87, under Mike Gatting, part of a clean sweep that winter that also saw them also take the Ashes and Perth Challenge – a separate one-day tournament to celebrate Australia’s hosting of the America’s Cup.
England were poor under Graham Gooch in 1990-91, and even worse under Mike Atherton four years later – that time they suffered the indignity of seeing Australia play Australia A in the final (it was a four-team tournament that time, with Zimbabwe also there). “It took the mickey out of us – why should we help develop young Australian cricketers?’ asked Gooch. “Then when the A-side and the senior Aussie team began to interchange players it made any form of real competition a complete farce.”
The Australia A matches did lose List A status.
In 1992-93 Phil Simmons recorded the barely believable figures of 4-3 in 10 overs against Pakistan at the SCG, still the most economical in ODI history.
Australia missed the finals in 1996-97 and 2001-02, the latter easing Steve Waugh out of the one-day hot seat.
In 1998-99 the World Series Cup became the World Series, but there was even greater controversy when Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing by Ross Emerson at Adelaide, and Alec Stewart and Arjuna Ranatunga had words. “Your behaviour has been appalling for a country’s captain,” lectured the Gaffer. England at least made the finals, and again at Sri Lanka’s expense in 2002/03, both times losing to Australia.
Amazingly they won in 2006/07, however, after being annihilated in the Ashes. Michael Vaughan returned to the side after injury, hosted parties in his captain’s suite by raiding the mini-bar to raise morale, installed Paul Nixon to ‘badger’ behind the stumps, and the Aussies were stunned. “I loved playing the tri-nations that winter,” Nixon told me, “and I think it’s strange how we don’t play that format here. There is such a loyal fanbase for all international teams in the UK that I’m sure we would fill most of the grounds in England.”
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