The Australian Tri-Series was an annual one day international (ODI) cricket tournament held in Australia, and contested by Australia and two touring teams. The series was the primary format for international one-day cricket throughout most of the early history of ODI cricket in Australia, staged during the height of the Australian cricket season, in the summer months of December, January and February. The tri-series was first held in 1979–80 and was contested every season until 2007–08. It has since been held only twice since 2007–08, and ODI cricket has since been played as bilateral ODI series against a single touring opponent.

History

The concept of a three-team international series known as a 'tri-series' in cricket originated with the World Series Cricket program sponsored by Kerry Packer. Packer was keen to exploit what he saw as strong interest in ODI cricket, and staged long tri-series amongst teams from Australia, West Indies, and The Rest of the World in the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons. These tournaments have never been awarded either One Day International or List A status. When the World Series Cricket schism ended in 1979–80, the tri-series format was retained. Throughout its existence, the tournament was held as a series of One Day Internationals, featuring a round-robin played amongst the three teams, followed by a finals series played between the top two. The most common format over the years was that each team played each other four times in the round-robin, followed by a final decided by a best-of-three series (with the third match played only if necessary), for a total of fourteen or fifteen ODIs played through the summer. The basic format has been unchanged throughout the tri-series' history, but specific details have varied: Over its duration, the series has taken on several mostly commercial names: After the 2007–08 season, the tri-series format was abandoned as a regular fixture. For three seasons (2008–09 until 2010–11), Australia still played ODIs against two touring teams, but these were staged as separate ODI series against a single opponent. The Commonwealth Bank was still the naming rights sponsor of ODI cricket in Australia during these summers, so all series were still known as the Commonwealth Bank Series during this time. The tri-series format returned in the 2011–12 season, but did not herald a permanent return to the format. A shortened tri-series of only seven matches (six round-robin matches and a final) was played in the 2014–15 season in the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup in Australia.

Results

Played mostly during a strong era for Australian cricket, Australia won twenty of the thirty-one tri-series played up to 2014–15. Australia failed to reach the finals on only three occasions. West Indies, who featured in the series frequently during the 1980s, was the next most successful team, winning six tournaments. Other international teams to win the tri-series were England (twice), India, Pakistan and South Africa (once each).

Tournament results by season

Notable moments in the Australian Tri-Series

Notes and references