England beating Australia is great... but who misses the World Series Cup?

HUW TURBERVILL: The 50-over triangular tournament could not be beaten for razzmatazz

^{Allan Border celebrates with the World Series Cup}

England’s triumph over Australia in this winter’s ODI series has made for unexpectedly good viewing. Even if you prefer cricket’s longer form, a win is a win, and the Tests were so grisly.

There is a neat symmetry to five ODIs at the five major Aussie cricket venues, but I must admit to having nostalgia pangs for the World Series Cup.

I fell in love with the competition in 1986/87, when Mike Gatting’s men conquered all (in marked contrast to their abject displays in 1982/83, 1990/91 and 1994/95 – they did at least make the finals in 1998/99 and 2002/03).

International one-day cricket was a bit unloved in England, something of an afterthought, or foreword, and as a 14-year-old, I loved the glitz, glamour, coloured uniforms, lights and white balls.

There are also some vintage clips on YouTube, highlighting the razzmatazz. Cricket has never looked sexier than this one, for the 1983/84 WSC, starring Imran Khan, Viv Richards and Allan Border, lightning crackling against ominous charcoal skies, with Brian Bennett’s wonderful New Horizons themetune.

The three-team format was also novel, and only adopted by England much later, from 2000–2005.

Triangular cricket has revived this winter, however, in T20, the two old enemies competing with New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman Trophy.

The World Series Cup emerged out of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket in 1979/80. It was abandoned between 2008/09 and 2010/11, but returned briefly until 2014/15.

One of the highlights of having BT Sport this winter has been them showing archive footage from winters Down Under… and not just games involving England (although full highlights of the 1986/87 Test series were welcome and memorable).

On Sunday they had Australia v West Indies from the 1983/84 WSC at the SCG. Highlights were a Desmond Haynes century and seeing the great Rodney Marsh bat at No.6 for the hosts, chest exposed like a man in an aftershave advert (he made 27). As the end credits rolled, the sight of Clive Lloyd enjoying ‘top bantz’ with the umpire added extra value:

Top bantz from Clive Lloyd pic.twitter.com/OHQQVGBFcj

— Huw Turbervill (@huwzat) January 21, 2018

I also caught a game from the 1987/88 tournament, featuring a wonderful knock from Geoff Marsh – 14 from 55 balls, expertly taking the shine off the new ball.

Also praise was due for the genius of a kit designer who had Australia in canary yellow (“that’s Australian gold my friend!”) with a green stripe, facing Sri Lanka in the same shade of yellow with a navy stripe!

Each team seemed to play each other a zillion times (actually five from 1980/81 to 1985/86, and in 1998/99, and four the rest of the time).

There were best-of-three finals (best of five in 1980/81 and 1981/82) that often ended early if the final game was made redundant (can you think of that happening anywhere else in cricket?).

The WSC produced some great drama.

In 1979/80 Mike Brearley shoved everyone on the boundary when West Indies needed three to win at the SCG; England won by two runs and the ODI rules were changed. Home fans sung, "C’mon Aussie, C’mon, C’mon" in a “three-way battle of the cricket gods”.

Australia wore yellow and black stripes down their white shirts and trousers, while West Indies had grey and maroon stripes. England, once again, refused to play ball and kept their whites pure – although they did agree to use black pads.

Trevor Chappell delivered his famous underarm ball against New Zealand the following winter, and then England failed to make the final in 1982/83, despite a trio of David Gower centuries.

A match in Sydney four years later must be one of the great ODIs; Allan Lamb needed 18 off the final over from Bruce Reid, and won it with a ball to spare.

Ian Botham then thumped 71 from 52 balls against Australia in the rain-reduced first final at Melbourne, before taking 3 for 26 in an eight-run win at Sydney:

1990/91 was a miserable tour for England as a hair-shirted Graham Gooch overdid practice. He said it was “humiliating” to allow New Zealand, “in a very transitional state, to stop us even making the final stages”. 

Four years later things were even worse. Mike Atherton’s side lost to Zimbabwe at Sydney and – in the crucial final group game - Australia A at the same venue.

As England practised, the music for The Muppet Show was played over the speakers.

“I was not at all happy with the concept of Australia A,” wrote Gooch. “In a way it took the mickey out of us – why should we help develop young Australian cricketers?” Australia beat their own reserves 2-0 in the finals.

At least England’s last experience of the triangular series in Australia went well.

Whitewashed in the Ashes, they stunned the hosts after Michael Vaughan, back from injury, opened up the captain’s suite at their hotel “as a kind of free bar”.

And then time was called on the World Series Cup. A shame.

World Series Cup: A history

1979/80: 1st West Indies, 2nd England, 3rd Australia;

1980/81: Australia, New Zealand, India;

1981/82: West Indies, Australia, Pakistan;

1982/83: Australia, New Zealand, England;

1983/84: West Indies, Australia, Pakistan;

1984/85: West Indies, Australia, Sri Lanka;

1985/86: Australia, India, New Zealand;

1986/87: England, Australia, West Indies;

1987/88: Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka;

1988/89: West Indies, Australia, Pakistan;

1989/90: Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka;

1990/91 Australia, New Zealand, England;

1991/92: Australia, India, West Indies;

1992/93: West Indies, Australia, Pakistan;

1993/94: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand;

1994/95: Australia, Australia A, England, Zimbabwe;

1995/96: Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies;

1996/97: Pakistan, West Indies, Australia;

1997/78: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand;

1998/99: Australia, England, Sri Lanka;

1999/2000: Australia, Pakistan, India;

2000/01: Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe;

2001/02: South Africa, New Zealand, Australia;

2002/03: Australia, England, Sri Lanka;

2003/04: Australia, India, Zimbabwe;

2004/05: Australia, Pakistan, West Indies;

2005/06: Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa;

2006/07: England, Australia, New Zealand.

2007/08: India, Australia, Sri Lanka.

Australia won their own tournament 16 times out of 27; West Indies were champions 6 times, England twice, and Pakistan, South Africa and India won it once each.