Twenty five years ago, on May 9 1977, a disgruntled Australian media mogul challenged cricket's cosy status quo and set in motion a player-led revolution that utterly transformed the modern game.

At the time Kerry Packer's outlandish proposal – to contract 50 of the day's best players and put on a series of travelling matches – was snootily dismissed by the game's governing bodies and media pundits alike. Those who signed up were viewed as traitors by their country's official boards and the “gimmicks” Packer introduced were also slated as vulgar and generally demeaning to the sport.

“The World's Top Cricketers Turn Pirate,” screamed the Daily Mail. “Packer circus,” critics derided.

Twenty five years on and Packer, a notorious gambler and now Australia's richest man, is viewed as something of a visionary having hauling an outmoded and outdated game into the technicolour television-era. Out went traditional whites and the red ball, in came coloured clothing, white balls, “Daddles the Duck”, floodlights and drop-in pitches.

The new format paraded under the World Series Cricket sobriquet, throwing together some the game's finest exponents into a series of unsanctioned but highly competitive matches. Four day “Super Tests” pitted Australia against World and West Indies teams but it was the novel day-night version of the still developing one-day games that really took off.

Traditionalists were aghast at the new emphasis on “Pyjama cricket” but when the opening day-night game at Sydney attracted 50,000 keen (and young) spectators it was clear that cricket would never be the same again. Advertisers rushed to become involved and the long-term success of such games was quickly guaranteed.

The most conservative nations – notably England – continually fought against the increasingly popular new format but look around now and you'll see Packer's innovations enthusiastically embraced worldwide. In many ways World Series Cricket set out the template for modern cricket and hindsight now shows its inception as crucial to the game's very survival as a tv-friendly sport. Without it who knows where the game might have gone in light of the plummeting Test match crowds of the time.

The catalyst for such a massive upheaval was, as ever, a heady cocktail of personal ego, money and television rights.

In 1976 the Packer-owned station Channel Nine bid $AUS 500,000 to carry all of Australia's domestic and international cricket but he was unceremoniously snubbed in favour of ABC, the established host broadcaster, who got the deal for a significantly reduced amount.

The clear favouritism outraged Packer to such an extent he vowed to take on the Australian Cricket Board head-on in what turned out to be a two year battle for television domination down under.

If they wouldn't give him the rights then he'd take away their players, lured onto the Packer gravy train by vastly superior wages and a mood of innovation.

Packer set his contacts to work back home and by early 1977 he had already clandestinely secured the services of Australia's biggest star names, with the likes of Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and the Chappell brothers (Ian and Greg) all signed up.

Back in England a similar operation was underway, but this time the recruitment campaign was being headed up by then Test captain Tony Greig. Charismatic and lager than life both on and off the field, Greig proved an inspired choice and his persuasion brought in players such as Derek Underwood, Bob Woolmer, Dennis Amiss and Alan Knott. His actions, though, were viewed with contempt by the MCC which saw his recruitment role as nothing short of treachery.

Likewise a West Indian contingent was also brought on board, an essential move given their playing strength at the time. Anyone doubting the validity of such a venture need just look at some of the names that flew over from the Caribbean.

They might have worn salmon pink flares but the West Indian team boasted players of such caliber it immediately gave WSC added resonance. Batsmen Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Laurence Rowe and Clive Lloyd (captain) were backed by a fearsome battery of fast bowlers led by Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Collis King.

Add to that a clutch of the game's finest performers from Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand – Clive Rice, Barry Richards, Garth Le Roux, Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbass, Javed Miandad and Richard Hadlee – and it's not difficult to see why WSC proved such a hit.

Equally unsurprising was the reaction of national governing bodies who unanimously banned all WSC players from representing their countries and fought desperately to prevent established grounds hosting the proposed games. That forced Packer and his associates to look elsewhere for suitable grounds, setting in motion a technology that only this year has finally made its way to England,... drop-in pitches.

The overall result was a two-year standoff with the unsanctioned WSC effectively playing exhibition matches while the official national teams struggled on minus most of their star players.

Australia and West Indies were particularly badly hit and it came as no surprise when a compromise deal was eventually reached in 1979. The ACB, desperate for the return of its best players, finally caved in and sold its television rights to Channel Nine – who have retained them ever since – while WSC disbanded in return, allowing all players to return into the official international programme.

It was, to all intents and purposes, a hands-down victory for Packer and the players.

9 May, 2002