Test match tickets were £1 and the income from television and sponsorship was about £400,000 in the early 1970s, meaning each county received about £20,000 from the board (they now get £1.3m). Therefore the average player’s annual salary was barely above the minimum wage – roughly £1,200 a year. (A first-division footballer was on about £7,000.) Winning the John Player League might net them an extra £200. A Test match appearance was worth £150.
