The ABC has gone back into its archives to pull out the TV footage of this remarkable series, one that has long claimed to have changed the way Test cricket was played. With the game stagnating because of poor run rates and a lack of entertainment the two teams embarked on an ambitious campaign to breathe some life back into the game. Sir Donald Bradman implored the Australian team to play attractive cricket, hinting that staying in the team depended upon it. The Australian captain, Richie Benaud, and the West Indian captain, Frank Worrell, were both happy to play their part.

The first Test in Brisbane ended in the first Tied Test and introduced the Australian public to a very different way of playing cricket, as evidenced by the third ball of the Test being belted for four by the West Indian batsman. The emergence of Garry Sobers, Norm O?Neill?s great 181 and Alan Davidson?s 11 wickets and over a hundred runs were some of the key components. But the match will always be remembered for Joey Solomon throwing down the wicket of the last ball to tie the Test.

Joey got into the action in the Second Test in Melbourne, won easily by the Aussies, when his cap fell on the stumps and dislodged a bail. The umpires gave him out, as the rules stated they should, but the Australian crowd actually ended up booing the Aussie captain Benaud. In Sydney for the third Test the West Indies showed how good they could be by spinning out the Aussies to win by 222 runs. The troupe ventured to Adelaide where Rohan Kanhai announced himself as a star with a hundred in each innings and Lance Gibbs to a hat-trick.. But it will always be remembered for the batting heroics of Lindsay Kline. Lindsay was a ferret, a batsman who went in after the rabbits, and was not expected to last long in the middle when he went out to bat with about 100 minutes left in the day?s play. Somehow he managed to hang on and Australia escaped with an a mazing draw to further add to the aura surrounding the series.

In the last Test in Melbourne a world record 90,800 people turned up on the first day to watch the Aussies finally prevail in another nail-biting finish. The public acclaim for the West Indies and their captain was demonstrated first by the huge crowd that stayed on for the trophy presentation. Australia commissioned the Frank Worrell Trophy, a trophy the two teams still play for today. The crowd even sang ?For He?s A Jolly Good Fellow? to show their appreciation and the emotional response by Worrell shows how deeply he felt about the occasion. The players were afforded a ticker tape parade in Melbourne and flew out with a host of fabulous memories.

The actual footage of the series is in black and white, is old, grainy, scratched and of poor quality. It doesn?t detract from the cricket played but it is easy to reflect on why Kerry Packer wanted to change the way it was telecast. With a camera only at one end we get none of the varying perspectives that adorn the coverage these days. It is nice to think that the footage still exists, even in this sort of quality. The fake crowd noises that have been put over the top of the commentary don?t enhance the experience either. The third disc, which features interviews with a variety of players who were involved in the Series is much better, as I would expect of something of its recency.

THE EXTRAS

Now this is where the three-disc set turns it all around. I was frustrated with the quality of the first two, even though they were focussing on such an important part of cricket history. The third disc features interviews with the likes of Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson and Neil Harvey to put the Australian side of the story. Garry Sobers, Lance Gibbs, Gerry Alexander and Wes Hall are among the West Indians who tell their version of events. It is clear that this gathering of individuals was unique in its time, especially when the controversial White Australia Policy was still in vogue. It is embarrassing to think that the West Indies players were welcomed as sports people yet would have had significant difficulty had they tried to migrate here. Thankfully we are well past that.

The reflections and insights the payers bring to the series are exactly what this sort of set should be about. The Series itself was remarkable and the makers of the series are to be applauded for bringing together so many of the teams to record their views fro posterity. It?s nice to know that Wes Hall talking to the Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, might we have had some part to play in dismantling the White Australia Policy. Its also nice to know that the series established friendships that last until today. I can heartily recommend this disc to you.

CONCLUSION

This set reflects on the 1960-61 tour to Australia by the West Indies by pulling together the highlights packages from each Test and then adding a third disc with interviews with some of the main players. It is a reminder of what cricket used to be like back in the early days of B&W TV and of how two teams could come together to entertain crowds for the betterment of cricket.