The ICC Super Series 2005 was a cricket series held in Australia during October 2005, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was played between Australia (the world's top-ranked side at the time) and a World XI team of players selected from other countries. The series consisted of three One Day Internationals and one Test match. Australia won all four matches.

Quick Facts Administrator, Format ...

ICC Super Series

The official logo of the Johnnie Walker Super Series
Administrator	ICC
Format	Test and ODI
First edition	2005
Latest edition	2005
Tournament format	Series
Number of teams	2
Current champion	Australia (both Test and ODI)
Most successful	Australia 2 titles (Test and ODI)
Most runs	Adam Gilchrist (275)
Most wickets	Stuart MacGill (9)

Close

The matches attracted small crowds and were not competitive, in part because the ICC World XI had only one warm-up game to gel as a team. The Super Series concept had been controversial from its first proposal. The ICC's intention was to showcase the world's best players and provide a close contest with Australia, who had dominated international cricket for several years. However, many fans and experts dismissed the Super Series as a gimmick, comparing it unfavourably with the 2005 Ashes Series.^[1]
The ICC had intended to hold a Super Series every four years, but the concept was not repeated.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Australian cricket side had become completely dominant in world cricket, and had a reputation of being unbeatable. In this climate, the concept of gathering the world's best players into one team to challenge them was born, and the ICC Super Series was developed.

• Warm-up match: Junction Oval, Melbourne, VIC
  • ICC World XI vs. Victoria – 2 October
• One Day Internationals: Telstra Dome, Melbourne, VIC
  • Game 1 – 5 October
  • Game 2 – 7 October
  • Game 3 – 9 October
• Super Test: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW
  • 14 to 19 October

The International Cricket Council declared that the matches would count as official One Day Internationals and Test matches. Some previous matches, such as the series between England and the Rest of the World in 1970, were initially regarded as Test matches, perhaps in the interests of attracting a sponsor, but later stripped of Test status by the ICC.^[6] At first it was unclear whether the Super Series matches would be recognised as official internationals, but following the decision to recognise the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal match as an official ODI, the ICC decided to award official status to the Super Series matches too. Apart from fixtures in which Caribbean islands and territories of the former British empire compete together as the West Indies, this was the first official Test match not between two countries. This decision proved controversial among players and writers alike. ^{[citation needed]}

Cricket historians have generally opposed the decision because of inconsistency in that the 1970 Rest of the World series in England is not accorded Test status, although those matches were advertised as Test matches at the time. Officially, however, Test status seems unlikely to be withdrawn from the 2005 Super Test in part because of the effect on noted cricket records; for instance without the wickets taken in this match, Muttiah Muralitharan would fall slightly short of 800 career test wickets.^[7] Statisticians such as Bill Frindall have said that they will not recognise the ruling and will exclude the matches from their records. Although it has been said that this "raises the possibility of two competing sets of cricket statistics being in circulation", that has always been a reality because there has never been a standard for match status and statisticians have always used their own match lists. ^{[citation needed]}

Many current and former Test cricketers also joined in the debate. For example, former Australian captain Allan Border said: "I firmly believe that this status should be restricted to matches between national sides. Test cricket is an institution that has been built up over a period of 128 years, and it should not be tampered with". (Although arguably this overlooks the anomaly related to the West Indies, as well as the fact that Australia and South Africa both competed in what are now deemed test matches in the nineteenth century prior to formal political unification.) Conversely, Tony Greig, who played for the Rest of the World against Australia in 1971–1972, said "My understanding of the status of first-class and Test cricket is related to the standard of the players. These are all Test cricketers... [The 1971–72 matches] were played like Tests and were deadly serious. "

The matches themselves were characterised by poor crowds (half empty grounds) and lacklustre performances by the World XI. Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott described the series as a "bunfight" and said that there was "nothing that resembled cricket" in it. ^{[citation needed]} The authoritative publication The Wisden Cricketer summed up the Test match as follows: " [it] was a terrible game of cricket. It had a small crowd, little meaning and was forgotten quickly." The World XI players seemed to be there more for fun than anything else. Andrew Flintoff came up with some refreshingly honest statements amidst all the bullish officials: "I've got the Super Series in two weeks' time. I can't think of anything worse," he said, adding on arrival; "I'm only here for the food."^[8]

Captain Graeme Smith admitted to frustration in the aftermath of the series, saying he found it hard to deal with the fact that there weren't any repercussions to 'losing so badly'^[9]

The original aim was that the Super Series would be played every four years. However, immediately after the completion of the first Test match, Malcolm Speed, the ICC Chief Executive, removed it from the regular ICC schedule, noting that it may be played in the future when there is a clear world champion.^[10]

• Rest of the World cricket team in England in 1970
• Rest of the World cricket team in Australia in 1971–72
• Test cricket
• List of World XI ODI cricketers
• List of World XI T20I cricketers