I might make a point here. I see people all the time witter about how test attendances are declining and how the eighties WI team were supposedly such a drawcard.
The attendance of WI tests at Adelaide are as follows:
This test: 86,617
2009: couldn't find
2000: 61,486
1997: 68,435
1992: 57,573
1989: 58,479
1984: 53,445
1982: 107,771
1976: 107,993
1969: 84,632
1961: 112,060
1951: 39,505
And the '84 and '89 matches went a full 5 days. Now the attendance of the 1982 test was 107,771. That was also the last series Aus was competitive with WI for a while, not least because drawcards like Lillee and Chappell retired and the Australian team went into a deep slump until the '89 Ashes.
Now Packer was very much into promoting ODIs at the expense of tests, and this was probably a significant factor. But also, not many people wanted to turn up and watch a poor Australian team get thrashed. Not only were ODIs promoted more, but rules such as no bouncers blunted the WI bowlers and made Australia more competitive in them, especially as we had a player set that was a bit better in the short form. You could turn up and watch Viv whack some sixes and Australia could still win. Not so in tests.