West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1951–52

The West Indies cricket team toured Australia in the 1951-52 season and played five Test matches against Australia. The series was billed as the "World Championship of cricket", with both teams having beaten England in the previous 18 months. In the event, the series was a disappointment with Australia winning fairly easily by four matches to one.

After the Australian leg of the tour, the West Indies team moved on to New Zealand where the first Test matches between New Zealand and West Indies were played. See this article for further details.

The West Indies team was captained by John Goddard, who had led the side to series victories over India and England.

The full side was:

All of the players except Guillen and Marshall had played Test cricket before the tour, and the two exceptions made their debuts during the Australian leg of the tour.

West Indies (216 and 245) lost to Australia (226 and 236 for seven) by three wickets. West Indies batted uneasily against the speed of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller, with Goddard, coming in at No 9, top-scoring with 45. The Australians were similarly diffident against Ramadhin and Valentine, but Miller and Lindwall, as batsmen, were more aggressive. Valentine took five for 99 and Wisden recorded that five catches were dropped off his bowling in the space of half an hour. Weekes with 70 and Gomez (55) set a target, but Doug Ring's leg-breaks took six for 80. After five overs from the West Indies opening bowlers Gomez and Worrell, Goddard relied entirely on Ramadhin and Valentine, and they bowled more than 80 consecutive overs between them. Innings of more than 40 apiece from Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey and Graeme Hole took Australia to a narrow victory, despite Ramadhin's five for 90.

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