The Australian cricket team toured the West Indies in the 1983–84 season to play a five-match Test series against the West Indies.
The West Indies won the series 3–0 with two matches drawn. Then West Indies therefore retained the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy.
Wisden said that Australia "were outplayed in every department of the game, sometimes embarrassingly so." The West Indies did not lose a single second innings wicket in any of the five Tests and were only once dismissed for fewer than 300. Australia made more than 300 only once.
The series was enormously successful for Allan Border who was top scorer in half his ten Test innings and scored more than twice as many as anyone else in the team. It also saw the establishment of Wayne Phillips as Australia's first-choice wicketkeeper after Roger Woolley initially looked like taking the job. However veteran Australian players such as Geoff Lawson, Rodney Hogg, Kim Hughes and David Hookes performed poorly.
Australian squad
Australia had just defeated Pakistan 2–0 at home during the 1983–84 season. However this was the first tour the team had undertaken since the retirement of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh.
The original squad selected were as follows: Batsmen – Kim Hughes (captain), Allan Border (vice-captain), Greg Ritchie, Steve Smith, Kepler Wessels, Graham Yallop, David Hookes, Wayne Phillips (also backup wicketkeeper) Fastbowlers – Terry Alderman, Geoff Lawson, Rodney Hogg, Carl Rackemann, John Maguire Spinners – Tom Hogan, Greg Matthews Wicketkeepers – Roger Woolley Support team – Col Egar (manager), Geoff Dymock (assistant manager), Errol Allcot Selectors – Hughes, Border, Dymock
The selection of the side was generally uncontroversial – all the players had been in good form over the Australian summer, and those that did not play test cricket had played one day games for Australia. Smith toured Sri Lanka while Ritchie had played three tests in Pakistan.
Western Australian all rounder Ken MacLeay had been thought a possible tourist but his form had fallen away during the summer. Spinner Murray Bennett was considered unlucky to not be picked, having been in the Australian squad against Pakistan that summer. Jeff Thomson was overlooked despite an excellent domestic season.
Former test bowler turned journalist Bill O'Reilly thought Bob Holland, then Australia's leading leg spinner, should have been taken because of the success of leg spinners on West Indian wickets. Holland had a better domestic record than Matthews that summer but was not as skilled with the bat. (The bowling of Bennett and Holland would later deliver Australia a rare test victory over the West Indies the subsequent Australian summer.)
David Hookes had not played for the Australian test side for a while but was in the one day team and had toured the West Indies before, and his experience was thought to be useful considering the retirements of Chappell, Lillee and Marsh.
Roger Woolley, the first choice wicketkeeper, was the first Tasmanian based player to be picked for Australia since Laurie Nash in 1931. Rod Marsh had been Australia's wicketkeeper since the 1970–71 summer, so Woolley had the chance to establish himself in that role long term. His main rival for the position had been New South Wale's Steve Rixon. Australian selectors had indicated their preference for Woolley by sending him on the tour to Sri Lanka in 1983, and he had scored 532 first class runs at an average of 44.5 that summer. Woolley: For the next three months I've a job to do as a batsman keeper. That's all I'm thinking about for the time being.... I was worried about Queenslander Ray Phillips this season – he had taken a lot of catches and I hadn't. Strangely, we were not getting wickets that way and my tally, along with the other Tasmanian fieldmen, was down. But 1 felt the Sri Lankan tour has brought me along and my batting was improving with the responsibility of being Sheffield Shield captain. The "comeback story" of the Australian squad was bowler Terry Alderman, who had damaged his shoulder in November 1982 while tackling a spectator who had charged on to the ground.
Replacements
Graham Yallop had injured his knee during a one-day international in Australia in 1984 and it was unsure if he would be able to tour so Dean Jones was placed on standby. Rod McCurdy was announced as a backup if any bowlers were injured. Steve Smith and Greg Ritchie injured themselves during the one-day finals and David Boon and Graeme Wood were placed on standby for them. Both Smith and Ritchie recovered to fly out with the squad.
