Rebuff tipped for Packer 14-player offer

Press, 11 January 1978, Page 4

Rebuff tipped for Packer 14-player offer

XZPA Sydney Fourteen Australian members of Mr Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket squad were reported yesterday to have offered their services to the Australian (Cricket Board for an official I tour of the West Indies starting next month. The 14 were belie\ed to have told the board in a letter that they were “available and keen” to make the tour, the newspaper “The Australian,” said in a front-page story. But the newspaper said the selectors seemed certain to reject the offer. The “Sydney Morning Herald” said in a front-page story that Mr Brian Treasure, the administrative controller of World Series Cricket, had approached series players in Perth on Monday to find out which of them were prepared to tour. Among those who said “yes” was the former Australian test captain. Greg Chappell. However, the fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, declined. World Series Cricket, promoted by Mr Packer, an Australian television magnate, is being played m Australia during the present reason along with an official test series between Australia and India. The Australian team.! shorn of most of its stars who! signed with Mr Packer, won the| first two tests narrowly, but j India easily took the third test and is poised to tie the series | by winning the fourth, currenth ■ [being played in Sydney. I There was no immediate reaction to the reported offer from (the Australian board. There has been speculation * I that the need for Australia to send a strong side to the West Indies might lead to a reconciliation between the board and the Packer “rebels.” The “Herald” quoted Greg Chappell as saying: “It’s an important tour and it would be. a shame to see a young inexperienced team slaughtered by the powerful West Indies side.” i The West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, in Perth for World Series [Cricket, was quoted in the “Australian” as saying of the 14 players’ offer: “I urge the Australian board to consider all Packer iplayers who are avaialble, just las the West Indies and Pakistan governing bodies are doing.

' “Obviously it will make foi a better series if the WSa Australians are chosen." The 14 players listed by Um ■“Australian" as having offered Ithemsehes for the toui were !Greg Chappell, Kick McCoskcr, lan Redpath, Doug Walters, lan | Davis, David Hooks. Gary Gilmour. Len Pascoe. Mick Malone, Wayne Prior. Max Walker. Ray Bright. Rodney Marsh and Richie Robinson. ■ A decision by the Western Australian Cricket Council last night virtually slammed the door on (any of Mr Packer’s cricketer* I joining the Australian team for ; the forthcoming West Indies tour. A motion put by a Perth districl club, to have the bans imposed on Mr Packers’ players lifted, was defeated overwhelmingly at the meeting. The Melville Cricket Club, which could formerly boast tho fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, moved that the players who signed with Mr Packer be reinstated with their clubs and be allowed to be members of the state practice squad. But the motion was defeated. 26-2. with the Melville delegates the only two in favour among the representatives of 14 first-grade clubs. The action by the W.A.C.C. is regarded as a forerunner to the [anticipated reaction of the Australian Board of Control to the announcement that Mr Packer had cleared 14 of his contract [stars to make the West Indian | tour. The West Indians enhanced their reputation as the worlds best limited-over cricketers when they thrashed the World XI bv eight wickets in a one-day W.S.C. International Cup match at Gloucester Park, in Perth. They routed the World XI for a pitiful 130 and then careered to victory with 19.5 overs to spare. The West Indians’ victory and their win by six wickets with 15.6 overs to spare against the last Saturday showed that they would start hot favourites for the $lO,OOO winner-take-all final of the International Cup in Sydney next month. Scores.—W.S.C. World XT 130 (Asif Iqbal 39. Zalieer Abbas 22; W. Daniel 3/22, J. Garner 2/10, C. King 2/27) lost to W.S.C. West Indies 131/2 (G. Greenidge 75, V. Richards 51).