5 facts about Australian cricket history that you probably didn't know
As far as cricketing nations are concerned, no other team can quite match the consistent history of success that has been enjoyed by the Australians and that makes the history of the cricket team a fascinating subject. The famous wins, Bradman, the legendary Invincibles side of 1948, the teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting have gone into cricket folklore.
Those things have been dissected to no end and any cricket fan worth his salt is aware of the cricket history of Australia. However, there might be some things that might not be as mainstream or perhaps forgotten and here is a look at 5 of those fascinating, little-known things from the history of Australian cricket.
#5 Tests in Australia used to have 8 ball overs until 1979
When Test cricket first commenced back in the 19th century, an over used to consist of 4 deliveries, before the 6-ball over was adopted in England in 1900. Australia started off similarly and adopted the 6-ball over in the 1891-92 season before adopting the 8 ball over for one season in 1924-25 and finally, in 1936-37, the country seemed to have permanently gone back to the 8-ball over.
All first-class cricket and Test cricket in Australia consisted of 8-ball overs and needless to say, it must have been a big shock for visiting bowlers in particular, who were used to bowling 6-ball overs.
Although it might seem that the 8-ball over is a bit prehistoric, it is interesting to note that Test matches in Australia consisted of 8-ball over till as recently as the 1978-79 season. The change came about after Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket swept Australian cricket and showed the commercial potential of 6-ball overs.
The broadcaster could then have more time for advertisements and by extension, more money for the cricket board. In the 1979-80 season, the cricket board in Australia adopted the 6-ball over across first-class cricket and Test cricket and it has been the same ever since.