Cricket in Australia
A record 1,311,184 people played cricket across Australia in 2015–16, an 8.5 per cent increase on 2014–15 – placing cricket at No.1 as the current top participation sport in Australia. Women participation also reached record figures in 2015–16, growing nine percent to 314,936 players. According to Cricket Australia's annual report of 2014–15, 1,208,360 Australians played formal, organised cricket during the year, an increase of nine percent over the previous year. Separately, official audience data shows that 93.6% of Australians watched at least some cricket on TV in 2010–11 calendar year.
World Series Cricket results
Official cricket won a series of minor victories. WSC was unable to call the Australian team "Australia", or use the official rules of cricket, which are copyright of the MCC. The Australian team therefore became "WSC Australia XI", and former Australian captain and leading commentator Richie Benaud took the job of writing rules and playing conditions for the series. WSC was also shut out of traditional cricket venues, so Packer leased two Australian football stadiums, VFL Park in Melbourne and Football Park in Adelaide, a trotting track in Perth, Gloucester Park, and the Sydney Showground.