4. World Series Cricket, 1977-79
In 1977 Australian media mogul Kerry Packer hit upon the idea of a series of exhibition matches, attracting the finest international cricketers to play against each other for money. Originally intended as a contest between an Australian XI and a Rest of the World XI, he began secretly recruiting players around the time of the 1977 Ashes. World Series Cricket resulted in a series of bitter court cases between Packer and the various cricket boards. In 1979 an agreement was reached between Packer and the ACB which secured both the financial future of the cricket board and coverage rights for Channel Nine.