Cricket in Australia
Cricket has been played in Australia for over 210 years. The first recorded cricket match in Australia took place in Sydney in December 1803 and a report in the Sydney Gazette on 8 January 1804 suggested that cricket was already well established in the infant colony. Intercolonial cricket in Australia started with a visit by cricketers from Victoria to Tasmania in February 1851. The match was played in Launceston on 11–12 February with Tasmania winning by 3 wickets.
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.