Australia v West Indies - Series Summary

After an innings defeat in the tour opener against the Chairman's XI was followed by a loss in the first Test in Brisbane, few people outside the Caribbean would have backed West Indies to come away with the laurels in this series, but that is exactly what they did. The tourists' batting - led by the incomparable Viv Richards - dominated the last three Tests, and an individual century tally of 6 to 2 in favour of West Indies over the course of the series underlined their dominance with the bat. Sobers (who enjoyed one of his best all-round series), Greenidge and Lloyd all joined the party at various stages, and Lloyd looks to have cemented a place in the side for the next couple of series at least. Only Gibbs disappointed with the ball as Marshall, Ambrose and Garner all averaged under 30, and had it not been for Stan McCabe's rearguard heroics in Perth then West Indies may have run out 3-1 series winners rather than 2-1 victors.

McCabe's form faded after the opening two Tests, as admittedly did that of most of Australia's representatives, and the hosts missed Allan Border's stabilising influence over the course of the decisive final two Tests. Australia's team selection looked unbalanced in those two games, with Benaud's lack of form in the pivotal number six position severely exposing his side, and many observers felt that he had been rushed back into the side too soon after breaking his finger in the first Test; innings figures of 19-2-107-1 in the final Test seemed to confirm such views. Don Bradman also suffered a huge dip in form, averaging less than 50 in a series for the first time in his ATG career, and with both Morris and Chappell AWOL for much of the series, Australia's batting looked decidedly fragile. Bill O'Reilly, who took a series-high 21 wickets but was battered into submission in both Melbourne and Sydney, and with Ray Lindwall Australia's only really consistent threat, West Indies were able to rack up huge scores in the final two games.

Australia now share top spot in the ATG rankings (with England and South Africa) for the first time after 141 Tests of lone dominance, and next season's Ashes clash in England could well see the true crowning of a new number one in the ATG world.

Australia - Batting
AR Border 266 runs @ 66.50, DG Bradman 324 @ 46.29, SJ McCabe 341 @ 37.89, WM Woodfull 332 @ 36.89, IA Healy 231 @ 33.00

Australia - Bowling
WJ O'Reilly 21 wkts @ 28.10, RR Lindwall 16 @ 29.81, DK Lillee 13 @ 42.08, AK Davidson 14 @ 42.14

West Indies - Batting
IVA Richards 667 runs @ 95.29, GStA Sobers 423 @ 70.50, CH Lloyd 416 @ 69.33, CG Greenidge 336 @ 42.00, PJL Dujon 186 @ 31.00

West Indies - Bowling
MD Marshall 19 wkts @ 23.00, J Garner 16 @ 24.56, CEL Ambrose 19 @ 27.42, GStA Sobers 12 @ 34.25, LR Gibbs 11 @ 43.73

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 2-1

Players of the Series


RR Lindwall & IVA Richards

Australia v West Indies - Fifth Test

Sydney Cricket Ground

AUS: WM Woodfull, AR Morris, DG Bradman, GS Chappell, SJ McCabe, *R Benaud, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Egar & LP Rowan

A hard fought series now reached its climax, and the 'Showdown at the SCG' would determine whether Australia maintained their number one status in the ATG world or whether West Indies could complete a come from behind victory that would rank them with the big guns once again. Garry Sobers won a vital toss and elected to bat on what looked a good wicket, but under heavy early morning cloud it was Australia that got off to a dream start.

With only 6 runs on the board, both Haynes and Weekes were back in the pavilion having respectively hooked and fended catches off Ray Lindwall bouncers, but Greenidge and Richards counter-attacked with characteristic ferocity and by lunch the tourists were 103-2, with Greenidge in particular in punishing form. O'Reilly and Lillee were simply hit out of the attack, and when Richards lofted Benaud's first ball for six to raise his fifty - in all, Benaud's first over went for 16 - the gauntlet had well and truly been thrown.

The West Indies have run into some irresistible form after a disastrous start to the tour, and now it seemed that there was no stopping them. Richards eventually went for 85, bowled off the inside edge to give the struggling Benaud a most fortunate wicket, but he had added an even 200 with Greenidge, and even with rain lopping 14 overs off the day West Indies ended day one on a commanding 321-4. Greenidge had given Lindwall a deserved third wicket, but only after he had posted a brutal 152 from just 200 balls, his first hundred for 17 Tests, and on day two it was more of the same for Australia.

Lloyd and Sobers added 165 for the fifth wicket, and whilst their strokeplay was not quite in the class of Greenidge and Richards the previous day, it was every bit as clinical. O'Reilly bowled with more control and shouted himself hoarse with unsuccessful appeal after unsuccessful appeal, but Australia's attack appeared somewhat toothless, allowing Sobers to stroke a chanceless 93 and Lloyd to swat a career high 154, an innings that must now cement his place in the side for some time to come. Once Lloyd went the innings folded quickly, with Lillee picking up four of the last five wickets to finish with figures that flattered him, but West Indies' total of 547 had put them in complete control of their own destiny, and it was now down to their bowlers to finish off the ailing Aussies.

Thus far the game was following a similar pattern to the fourth Test in Melbourne, and just as they did at the MCG Australia now played the role of the punch drunk boxer who couldn't get off the ropes. Marshall and Garner reduced Australia to a pitiful 141-9 on the third afternoon, and it was only an innings-high partnership of 72 for the tenth wicket between the admirable Healy (72) and O'Reilly (26*) that gave the innings any semblance of credibility. Australia were 213 all out and Sobers enforced the follow-on for the second match in succession, with West Indies a whopping 334 runs to the good.

Australia put up a little more resistance second time round, and at 162-3 with both Morris and Chappell having posted their first fifties of the series, there looked an outside chance that they might be able to save the game. However, Sobers popped up to dismiss both batsmen after a stand of 106, and the slide began once again. Healy stood defiant for the second time in the match, carving an unbeaten 75 to ensure that he top scored in both innings, but when O'Reilly was yorked by Garner fifteen minutes before lunch on the final day it was all over, and West Indies had completed their second successive innings victory to take the series 2-1.

It was Australia's first ever defeat in a home series, and one was left to wonder whether Richie Benaud's reign as skipper might now end up being a very short one indeed. Australia's next engagement is their defence of the Ashes in England, and the Mother Country must now be favourites to capture the Urn for the first time in ATG history. As for West Indies, they rallied superbly after a horror start to the tour, and they thoroughly deserved their series victory. Viv Richards was undoubtedly the stand-out, but their all-round showing simply outclassed Australia in every department, and Garry Sobers now leads a team that looks capable of challenging for the top spot once again after a long time in the wilderness.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 547 (Lloyd 154, Greenidge 152, Sobers 93, Richards 85; Lillee 4-108)
AUS 1st Inns 213 (Healy 72, Bradman 54; Garner 4-35, Marshall 4-53)
AUS 2nd Inns 330 (Healy 75, Morris 69, Chappell 65, McCabe 40; Marshall 4-82)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 4 RUNS

Man of the Match: CG Greenidge

Australia v West Indies - Fourth Test

Melbourne Cricket Ground

AUS: WM Woodfull, AR Morris, DG Bradman, GS Chappell, SJ McCabe, *R Benaud, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Egar & LP Rowan

After rearguard actions of contrasting style from both teams in Perth and Adelaide, the feeling was that something had to give in Melbourne; an Australian victory would give them the series with one match still to play, whilst a win for West Indies would set up a winner-takes-all final Test in Sydney. Australia suffered a blow when the news came that the in-form Allan Border would miss the remainder of the series with a cracked rib, but Richie Benaud made a surprise return to skipper the team here at the MCG, with many pundits believing that he may have been rushed back too soon following his broken finger sustained in the first Test.

Benaud's first decision was to insert West Indies after winning the toss on a damp, cloudy first morning, and for the first hour ball beat bat with great regularity; however, Greenidge and Haynes were able to reach lunch unparted with the score on 71-0, and from this foundation West Indies were able to build, and build big.

Greenidge eventually made a series-high 69, but the real impetus came once again from Viv Richards, who is enjoying a magnificent Australian summer. He blitzed a 44 ball half century before Davidson defeated him with an excellent yorker, but by this time the damage had been done. Benaud had been hit out of the attack, Lillee was proving expensive and West Indies were on their way. Weekes compiled a composed 54 as a rain shortened day one ended with the tourists on 284-5, and day two belonged to one man as Garry Sobers took charge of the Test.

With the help of the tail he was able to take West Indies to a total of 468, finishing undefeated on 140 (the in-fashion score for West Indian batsmen at the moment), an innings that took just 148 balls and contained 19 boundaries. Australia's attack looked woefully unbalanced, containing as it did two leg spinners in O'Reilly and Benaud, and on a wicket that offered neither of them any assistance, their combined figures were a sorry 26-3-134-2.

Australia's troubles were only just beginning though, for by the close on day 2 they had been reduced to 103-5, with that man Sobers claiming 4-15 including Don Bradman for a third ball duck, courtesy of a Clive Lloyd catch in the slips. By lunch on day three Australia were 182 all out, Sobers had claimed career best figures of 6-46 and Woodfull and Morris were preparing to bat again as the follow-on was enforced.

West Indies led by 286 runs, and with eight sessions in the match remaining there was no way that Australia would be able to shut up shop and bat for the draw as they had at Perth. A lead would have to be established and Woodfull began in positive fashion, but with Morris departing for another duck as his horror series continued (92 runs in eight innings, three ducks), West Indies were able to claim an early wicket and the hosts were immediately on the back foot.

Woodfull and Bradman added 65 in even time but that was to be the highpoint of the innings, and once Ambrose was able to burst through the Don's defences with a true exocet of a yorker, the writing was on the wall for Australia. Bradman's 62 proved to be the highest score in the match for the hosts, and half an hour before lunch on the fourth day it was all over. On a pitch whose bounce was now becoming erratic batting was proving increasingly difficult; Benaud survived a testing barrage from Garner and contributed 36 before flashing a simple catch to Dujon off Marshall, and once he was gone Ambrose knocked over the tail to finish with the excellent figures of 4-34 from 22 overs.

Australia were out for 234 had thus been defeated by an innings and 52 runs, and had been quite frankly outplayed in all areas of the game. Their team selection came in for severe criticism, and Richie Benaud did indeed look to have been brought back too soon into the cauldron of the MCG. His decision to put West Indies in totally backfired, and opposite number Garry Sobers chose this match to produce one of the best all-round displays seen in ATG cricket. The teams now head for Sydney tied at 1-1, and with the momentum well and truly with West Indies we could be in for a classic final Test.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 468 (Sobers 140*, Greenidge 69, Richards 63, Weekes 54, Lloyd 47; Davidson 4-120)
AUS 1st Inns 182 (Woodfull 50, Davidson 45; Sobers 6-46)
AUS 2nd Inns 234 (Bradman 62; Ambrose 4-34)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 52 RUNS

Man of the Match: GStA Sobers

Australia v West Indies - Third Test

Adelaide Oval

AUS: *WM Woodfull, AR Morris, DG Bradman, GS Chappell, SJ McCabe, AR Border, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MA Holding, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: PJ McConnell & RC Bailhache

After scrapping doggedly for an unlikely draw in Perth, Australia entrusted the defence of their 1-0 series lead to an unchanged XI at the Adelaide Oval, whilst West Indies were forced to replace hamstring victim Malcolm Marshall with Michael Holding. Bill Woodfull won the toss, and on a ground where batsmen have prospered in ATG cricket - three triple hundreds have been scored at the Adelaide Oval, including one by Woodfull himself - he had no hesitation in electing to bat.

West Indies had the better of the first day though, reducing Australia to 223-7 by stumps, with only Stan McCabe (64) passing 50. Holding had bowled with hostility to claim four wickets on recall, including two in a devastating spell with the second new ball, but a spirited stand of 91 for the eighth wicket between Border and Lindwall on day two swung the pendulum back in Australia's favour, and after Border was out for 69 Lindwall added a further 53 runs with Lillee (25) for the ninth wicket before finally being caught in stunning fashion by Sobers in the slips for a career high 86.

Australia had totalled 367, a slightly disappointing score on a good batting wicket, but after a much improved showing with the bat in Perth, West Indies slipped back into their poor form of earlier in the tour and were skittled for 168 by early afternoon on the third day, saving the follow-on by just one run. Lindwall followed up his batting heroics by knocking over the first three wickets on his way to figures of 4-38 off 17 overs, and only four West Indians reached double figures, including nightwatchman Michael Holding, who biffed an entertaining 31.

Australia thus had plenty of time to set West Indies a daunting fourth innings target on a wicket likely to offer Bill O'Reilly some assistance, and led by Bradman's first century for five Tests they racked up a total of 302-4 before Woodfull declared shortly before tea on day four with a lead of 501. Bradman, who had passed 5000 career runs during his first innings 44, was not at his fluent best, taking 40 minutes to move from 95 to 100 and batting six hours in all for his undefeated 113, but with the support of Border's second fifty of the match he was able to oversee the addition of 152 unbeaten runs for the fifth wicket before Woodfull called time.

Thus far the match had followed an uncannily similar course to that of the second Test, but this time around it was West Indies that now faced the prospect of having to bat for over four sessions to save the game. There did not appear to be any gremlins in the wicket as of yet though, and anchored by Haynes' first fifty of the tour the tourists reached 98-1 half an hour before the close before two late strikes from Davidson and O'Reilly left West Indies 131-3 at stumps with a whole day's play remaining.

Lloyd fell early on the final morning, losing his leg stump to Lindwall for 18, and Garry Sobers now joined Viv Richards at the crease to begin a partnership that was surely West Indies' final hope of salvaging the match. Sobers played his natural game, and reached 28 exclusively in boundaries before Morris just failed to hold on to a difficult bat/pad chance off O'Reilly shortly before lunch, a moment that was to prove pivotal in the eventual outcome of the game. Sobers adopted a far more conservative approach from that point on, and with Richards also batting in admirably restrained fashion, Australia's bowlers began to struggle to make an impression.

Richards was put down by Lindwall on 68 in Lillee's second over with the second new ball, and that was the last chance to be offered until half an hour before stumps as West Indies' fifth wicket pair stamped their authority on the final day's play. O'Reilly wheeled through 44 overs, conceding just 84 runs in the process, but the fact that he could only snare two wickets was a disappointing statistic for the hosts. The second wicket was that of Richards, but by the time Chappell bagged a sharp catch at slip, Richards had amassed 129 runs over the course of six and a half hours at the crease, an innings that was in complete contrast to his contribution at the WACA but every bit as worthy. Sobers eventually finished undefeated on 89, an innings that spanned 259 balls and five and a half hours, and his partnership of 185 with Richards had saved the game for West Indies.

For the record, the tourists finished on 357-5, still the thick end of 150 away from the most unlikely of victories, but the manner in which Richards and Sobers had played the hosts' attack must give them confidence for the final two Tests. O'Reilly had been ineffectual on a wicket that should have offered him some assistance, Lillee had a game to forget after recording his first ATG five-for in Perth, racking up match figures of 1-159 off 41.4 overs here, and the fact that the hosts shelled six catches over the course of the match must be of concern. Nonetheless, Australia maintain their series lead going into the final two Tests, and the main talking point now will be whether skipper Richie Benaud will be fit to return at the MCG, and who he will replace if he is selected. All to play for in Melbourne then, and a West Indian victory there would set up the ultimate final Test showdown in Sydney.

Scores
AUS 1st Inns 367 (Lindwall 86, Border 69, McCabe 64, Woodfull 49, Bradman 44; Holding 4-75)
WI 1st Inns 168 (Richards 42; Lindwall 4-38)
AUS 2nd Inns 302-4 dec. (Bradman 113*, Border 68*)
WI 2nd Inns 357-5 (Richards 129, Sobers 89*, Haynes 52)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: IVA Richards

Australia v West Indies - Second Test

The WACA Ground, Perth

AUS: *WM Woodfull, AR Morris, DG Bradman, GS Chappell, SJ McCabe, AR Border, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, IVA Richards, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, CEL Ambrose, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: AR Crafter & RC Bailhache

With Bill Woodfull installed as captain in Richie Benaud's absence, the Australian XI travelled across country to Perth 1-0 up in the series, and they were able to include both Don Bradman and Dennis Lillee in the starting line-up after their recent injury lay-offs. West Indies called up Clive Lloyd to replace Everton Weekes (ankle), and it was Lloyd who dominated proceedings as the tourists' batting finally sparked into life over the course of the first two days.

Proceedings initially began well for Australia as Lindwall and Lillee reduced West Indies to 22-3 on a typically hard and fast wicket at the WACA, but Viv Richards led a bold counter attack that saw 172 runs added in the next two and a half hours. He raised his 50 by striking Bill O'Reilly for his fourth six, and was finally out for 96 when Allan Border held a good low catch at midwicket off Lillee. Richards hit ten fours and five sixes in all, and his cavalier approach was continued by Lloyd and Sobers throughout a rain shortened evening session on the first day and then into the second morning.

Sobers was eventually caught on the boundary for a hard hit 70, but Lloyd powered to his first ATG century, eventually racking up 140 before Lillee took out his middle stump shortly before lunch on day two. Lillee went on to complete what was incredibly his first ATG five wicket haul in his 29th Test, and the tourists' innings eventually closed on 400 shortly before tea on day two. Australia endured a tough evening session, losing Bradman caught behind for 41 when he gloved a rising delivery from Marshall and almost losing Chappell to a blow on the head from Garner, and it was only thanks to yet another gutsy knock from Allan Border and three dropped catches from West Indies that Australia eventually avoided the follow-on.

Border stood firm for an undefeated 96, having been dropped by Greenidge when on 48, and his seventh wicket partnership of 80 with Davidson (30) helped pushed Australia to a total of 291 and a deficit of 109. Garner took 4-50 on recall and Marshall bowled superbly for his 3-71, and as day three drew to a close it was now down to the West Indian batsmen to score quickly again in order to allow enough time to bowl out Australia on the final day.

And score quickly they did, racking up a total of 313-5 off just 76 overs before Sobers declared with a lead of 422 half an hour before tea on the fourth day. Haynes contributed 42 and Kanhai returned to some form with 66, but it was Richards, with an unbeaten 140 to go with his first innings 96, who dominated the innings, his runs coming from just 137 balls and including eleven fours and five sixes. He simply thrived on a track that still retained much of its pace, and although there were a few streaky shots between fifty and a hundred, it was a most dominating innings. O'Reilly eventually picked up three wickets but had been largely ineffectual after his successful return to the side in Brisbane, and Australia now faced the prospect of holding out for over four sessions in order to maintain their series lead.

Morris failed once again, and when Bradman was harshly adjudged caught behind off Ambrose by umpire Crafter for just 6, Australia were in deep trouble. By drinks on the final morning the innings had slid to 105-6 courtesy of Marshall and Ambrose, but first Test hero Stan McCabe was still there, and he wasn't going to give up without a fight. Alan Davidson became a willing ally, and the pair took Australia through to lunch without further loss, although Davidson should have departed almost immediately, surviving three huge shouts for caught behind off Marshall before he had scored, with only umpire Crafter knowing why he turned down the second of those appeals.

It was Lance Gibbs' turn to tie Davidson in knots after the break, but again umpire Crafter was unwilling to play ball, and when Dujon missed a clear stumping opportunity with Davidson on 22, one wondered whether it might just be Australia's day. McCabe stood unflustered through all the drama at the other end, and the pair somehow reached tea still unparted, much to West Indies' great consternation. The score was 168-6 at this stage, compiled over all of 89 overs, and the tourists now had a further 37 overs in which to pick up the four wickets they needed to level the series. The new ball came and went, and McCabe eventually crawled to the slowest 50 in ATG history after 359 minutes and 241 balls at the wicket.

Davidson finally departed with 25 overs left, bowled by Garner for 41, but his 76 run partnership with McCabe had lasted twelve minutes short of four hours, and with Lindwall hanging in for a further 90 minutes for 12, Australia were eventually able to pull off a miraculous escape. McCabe finished undefeated on 59 out of a total of 210-8, having batted for 478 minutes and 327 deliveries, and one of the most riveting Test matches of all had ended in a draw. It had been a game of contrasts, with West Indies posting their runs at a rate exceeding four an over before Australia's defensive marathon on the last day, and the teams will now reconvene in Adelaide with all still to play for over the second half of the series.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 400 (Lloyd 140, Richards 96, Sobers 70; Lillee 5-111)
AUS 1st Inns 291 (Border 96*, Chappell 44, Bradman 41; Garner 4-50)
WI 2nd Inns 313-5 dec. (Richards 140*, Kanhai 66, Haynes 42)
AUS 2nd Inns 210-8 (McCabe 59*, Woodfull 41, Davidson 41)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: IVA Richards & SJ McCabe

Australia v West Indies - First Test

The Woolloongabba, Brisbane

AUS: WM Woodfull, AR Morris, SJ McCabe, GS Chappell, AR Border, *R Benaud, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, WJ O'Reilly, WA Johnston.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, CEL Ambrose, CEH Croft, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: AR Crafter & PJ McConnell

The opening Test of this long-awaited series certainly lived up to expectations, with both sides combining to produce a match that left nails bitten and nerves jangled. Australia entered the game without Bradman and Lillee, both of whom were still recovering from the injuries they picked up in South Africa, but replacements Stan McCabe and Bill O'Reilly were at the centre of the action as ball dominated bat over the course of the first two innings.

West Indies won the toss and batted, but they were bowled out inside a day as O'Reilly ran through the lower order to claim 6-39 and thus become the first player to reach 200 ATG wickets. Only Richards, with a typically punishing 78, offered any resistance, and once he was gone the last five wickets melted away for just 13 runs to leave the tourists 193 all out.

West Indies struck back in fine style though, and by tea on day two Australia had been bundled out for 208, with Lance Gibbs emulating O'Reilly by claiming five wickets of his own. Had it not been for Stan McCabe then Australia's plight would have been far worse, and his maiden ATG hundred dominated an innings where the next highest score was Lindwall's unbeaten 27. If McCabe's five hour effort was the high point for Australia, the low point certainly came when new skipper Richie Benaud was forced to retire hurt with a broken middle finger on his right hand courtesy of Malcolm Marshall, and his reign as captain looks as though it will be a brief one, at least for the time being.

Nonetheless, Australia led by 15 runs at the halfway stage, and West Indies' second innings got off to the worst possible start when non-striker Des Haynes was run out without facing a ball when Greenidge called him through for an impossible single off Lindwall's very first delivery. Davidson's throw from mid on was unerring, and the tourists were eventually three down before their first innings deficit was erased. Weekes and Richards rallied with 54 and 34 respectively, but Weekes was hampered by an ankle injury and Richards was forced to retire on the second evening after receiving a nasty blow to the side of his head from a Lindwall bumper. He returned briefly on the third morning, but it was left to Dujon (67) to guide the score to respectability, and a 66 run seventh wicket partnership with Marshall helped take the total to 197, setting Australia a target of 183.

Having not even reached the tea interval on day three, time was never going to be a factor for the hosts, and stand-in captain Bill Woodfull set out his stall to play a typically obdurate and, hopefully for Australia, match-winning innings. At 51-3 and 107-4 the result could have still gone either way, but a dashing, undefeated 50 from Ian Healy gave Woodfull the support he needed, and he was able to stroke the winning boundary half an hour before lunch on day four to finish unbeaten on 81 and to put Australia 1-0 up in the series.

This had been a cathartic victory for Australia after their recent run of results, but a new captain is now needed for the second Test and possibly the remainder of the series; Bradman should be fit enough to play in Perth, but whether he will come back as skipper is a matter for renewed debate. West Indies were again on the receiving end of some poor umpiring decisions here in Brisbane, but just as in the warm-up game in Adelaide their batting was simply not up to the mark, and it needs to improve before the teams travel across country for the second Test at the WACA.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 193 (Richards 78; O'Reilly 6-39)
AUS 1st Inns 208 (McCabe 103; Gibbs 5-61)
WI 2nd Inns 197 (Dujon 67, Weekes 54)
AUS 2nd Inns 183-4 (Woodfull 81*, Healy 50*)

AUSTRALIA WON BY 6 WICKETS

Man of the Match: SJ McCabe

Australia v West Indies - Tour Match

Cricket Australia Chairman's XI v West Indians

Adelaide Oval
4 Day Game
Umpires: CJ Egar & LP Rowan

Chairman's XI: W Bardsley, SG Barnes, *IM Chappell, AL Hassett, WW Armstrong, KD Walters, JM Gregory, +ATW Grout, MG Hughes, TM Alderman, H Ironmonger.
West Indians: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, CH Lloyd, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MA Holding, WW Hall, J Garner, LR Gibbs.

West Indies' tour of Australia got off to the worst possible start as they crashed to an innings defeat inside three days against the Board Chairman's XI in Adelaide. The Board Chairman's XI, a team made up of players uncapped by Australia in ATG Tests, racked up an imposing 475-5 declared and then proceeded to bundle out the West Indians for 209 and 136 in less than 120 overs as the tourists paid the penalty for a very poor batting display.

The Australians scored at a rate exceeding four an over throughout their innings, with the foundations being laid by by Bardsley and Barnes' first wicket partnership of 169. The graceful Bardsley missed out on his hundred, but Barnes made no mistake, and capitalised on Hall's dropped catch when he was on 24 to the tune of 117 additional runs. The ebullient Barnes was joined on three figures by skipper Ian Chappell, who had himself been given a life on 29 when Dujon fumbled a straightforward stumping chance off Sobers, and Gibbs apart, not one of the tourists' bowlers managed to appear even remotely threatening. Warwick Armstrong rounded off the innings with a rollicking 93 and Chappell declared upon his dismissal, allowing his bowlers time to reduce the tourists to 157-5 by the close of the second day.

Jack Gregory completed his five wicket haul on the third morning to wrap up the West Indians' first innings, and once Chappell enforced the follow on it was spin that undid the tourists second time round as Ironmonger and Armstrong routed the Windies for just 136. Both bowlers were able to extract a considerable amount of turn from a dusting pitch, and one wonders whether their performance will influence the Test team's make-up ahead of the series opener in Brisbane.

For the tourists, only Rohan Kanhai passed 50 in either innings, and although he looked in good touch the same could not be said of most of his colleagues. Des Haynes was unlucky to be the victim of two very poor lbw decisions, and it must be said that the tourists were on the receiving end of a number of poor calls over the course of the match. However, this cannot mask the fact that the West Indians simply played some very average cricket here in Adelaide, and if things do not improve rapidly Australia will fancy their chances of avenging the blackwash with a resounding victory of their own.

Scores
Chairman's XI 1st Inns 475-5 dec. (Barnes 141, Chappell 130, Armstrong 93, Bardsley 84)
West Indians 1st Inns 209 (Kanhai 57, Dujon 45*; Gregory 5-70)
West Indians 2nd Inns 136 (Ironmonger 5-37)

CRICKET AUSTRALIA CHAIRMAN'S XI WON BY AN INNINGS & 130 RUNS