Why The Super Series Should Never Be Repeated

To paraphrase Sir Humphrey Appleby: "It was a worthwhile experiment, now abandoned, but not before it provided valuable data and considerable employment."

The "valuable data" includes the knowledge that world-class performers such as Kallis (try telling Australian spectators he deserves to share the ICC player of the year award), and Lara can manage no better than averages of 7 and 1.67 after three innings, when they have only their pride to play for. The considerable employment was to the players of the Rest of the World XI, who proved that the cricketers of today are just as prepared to chase the Australian dollar as their World Series playing predecessors.

I do not accept Pollock's excuse that the players lacked match practice. They played a warm-up match against Victoria and their performances throughout the series got worse, not better. If the ICC had examined the poor performance of the rebel teams who went to South Africa they would have realised that money and pride in one's performance is not enough to ensure that world-class cricketers play to their potential.

The idea of "world" teams should now be consigned to charity games and the dustbin of history, along with Packer's World Series and the rebel tours to South Africa. The ICC should release a statement which apologises for the Super Series and concludes "it happened before important facts were known and cannot occur again."