World Series Cricket tour of the West Indies
| WSC Australians in the West Indies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
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| WSC Australians | WSC West Indies | ||
| Dates | 20 February 1979 – 13 April 1979 | ||
| Captains | Ian Chappell | Clive Lloyd | |
| Test series | |||
| Result | 5-match series drawn 1–1 | ||
| Most runs | Greg Chappell (620) | Roy Fredericks (363) | |
| Most wickets | Dennis Lillee (23) | Michael Holding (24) | |
| One Day International series | |||
| Results | WSC West Indies won the 12-match series 8–2 | ||
| Most runs | Martin Kent (278) | Gordon Greenidge (304) | |
| Most wickets | Jeff Thomson (13) | Colin Croft (16) | |
The World Series Cricket tour of the West Indies took place between February and April 1979. It was the second tour event of World Series Cricket after the World XI New Zealand tour earlier in the season. It was the first tour to feature the WSC West Indies and WSC Supertests. The five match Supertest series was drawn 1–1. It ran in parallel with the ODI series which the West Indies won easily, 8–2.
Note: Number of Supertests and One-Day matches in brackets
Compared to previous international tours to the West Indies the schedule of the WSC tour was rigorous. The previous year the official Australia side had conducted a tour of the West Indies that took in five Test matches, two ODIs and six tour matches from 17 February to 3 May. The WSC tour featured five Supertests and twelve ODIs from 20 February to 13 April. What made the tour so physically demanding were the back to back ODIs and constant travelling between Islands with only a day between fixtures. On top of the gruelling itinerary, the cricket was intense and of the highest standard, unlike traditional tours that feature matches against weak opposition.
The Australian newspaper reported that never before had an Australian XI led by Ian Chappell been so humiliated in defeat. Australia had started well reducing the West Indies to 119–7. But Clive Lloyd as he had done so often before, resisted scoring a vital 56, aputting on 40 runs for the last wicket with the capable Wayne Daniel (17*). Chappell was delighted with his bowlers performance on a first day that closed with Australia 33/2, Ian out along with Bruce Laird and brother Trevor retired hurt. Twelve wickets would fall on the second day, Australia were bowled out for just 106, the four pronged West Indian attack making mince-meat of the Aussie batting card. With a lead of 76 the West Indies batted positively, compiling a total of 481 at a remarkable run rate of 4.39 runs per over. Clive Lloyd was again the star scoring a brilliant 197 before being the eighth batsman dismissed. Requiring an unlikely 558 runs to win in their second innings, the aggressive Ian Chappell chose to open the batting, protecting Trevor from the new ball. Ian made 41 but his side were only 83–4 at his dismissal and on the verge of a crushing defeat. Ray Bright made a good 47 not out, but the Australian tail were blown away by the four quicks, complemented by the medium pace of Richard Austin. The West Indies completed a 369 run win on the fourth day.
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