One-Day Revolution

The period from 1975 to 2003 was the most transformative in cricket history. The inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975, won by the West Indies under Clive Lloyd at Lord's, demonstrated that limited-overs cricket could captivate a global audience. Two years later, Australian media mogul Kerry Packer launched World Series Cricket, a breakaway competition that signed the world's best players and introduced innovations that permanently changed the sport: coloured clothing, white balls, day-night matches under floodlights, and proper player remuneration. Though WSC lasted only two seasons, its legacy reshaped every aspect of professional cricket.

This era was dominated by the incomparable West Indies team, which went unbeaten in Test series from 1980 to 1995 under the successive captaincies of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. Their fearsome pace battery of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Andy Roberts, combined with the genius of Richards, made them the most formidable team in cricket history. India's shock 1983 World Cup victory under Kapil Dev transformed the commercial landscape of cricket, beginning India's journey to becoming the sport's financial powerhouse.

The final decade of this era witnessed the rise of cricket's modern superstars. Sachin Tendulkar emerged as the greatest batsman of his generation, Shane Warne revived the art of leg-spin bowling, and Wasim Akram perfected reverse swing bowling. Australia's dominance under Steve Waugh, winning three consecutive World Cups (1999, 2003, and later 2007), set new standards for professional excellence. The Women's Cricket World Cup, first held in 1973, continued to grow in stature, laying the groundwork for women's cricket's eventual professionalisation.