The ABC has taken the opportunity to pat itself on the back for the TV coverage of Test cricket it gave us from the late 50s until the end of the 70s. This DVD shows a wide variety of footage, mainly in black and white, from those times in episodes that will no doubt make it to TV at some stage.

I couldn?t help but feel that the ABC was attempting some sort of revision of history to try to get us to believe that the coverage wasn?t that bad. Neville Oliver, who narrates the series, tries to tell us that the colour footage was quite good, even if we didn?t get to see it from 6 angles. Maybe a little reality check for the ABC apologists wouldn?t go astray. I doubt I am the only who can remember that the very reason that they don?t do the Test cricket any more was their reluctance to embrace new technology, a refusal to spend any money to give us even a camera at each end and an inability to attract new viewers to the show.

There is no doubt that some of the footage is great TV. The Tied Test in Brisbane will always remain a classic of both cricket and TV but it is worth remembering that we got to see the over unfold only from one view. The run-outs that are the key to the over are shown from front on and we are no wiser to how close the Aussies were to getting home than if we had listened on the radio. Sure we get to see the world record crowd of 90,800 at the MCG, and we see some of the greats and the coodabeens over the era, plus Richie in his playing days but I am not so sure it is the celebration the producers would want us to believe.

I was one of the ones who thought Kerry Packer did the right thing right from the outset and I can remember the arguments over the merits of his actions. It was evident immediately Packer took over that there was so much more to cricket than what we had been used to for so long. The coverage improved and the opening of the game up to women was an important breakthrough, even if I had to put up with my wife drooling over Dennis Lillee. I remain convinced that the then leaders of traditional cricket had their heads buried in the sand and that Packer would win out in the end. So it proved and I think the coverage has improved dramatically since then. This is a nice to have DVD but a sad reminder of how bad things were before the entrepreneur came along and took us out of the dark ages.

THE EXTRAS

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CONCLUSION

Join the ABC in a look back to the nostalgic days of B & W TV with Test cricket footage that came from one camera at one end of the ground. Check out the young Richie Benaud in his playing days and the cavalcade of stars between his reign and the start of the Alan Border era.