Tour of West Indies 1972-73               Captain: Ian Chappell

35th Australian Test tour

Third Test-playing tour of  West Indies by Australia

 (January - April 1973)

With Lillee out of action through injury and Massie out of form, Australia was deprived of its bowling stars from the England tour in 1972. Fortunately, the reserve fast bowlers Jeff Hammond and Max Walker, supported by Chappell's aggressive captaincy ploys, proved outstanding replacements and brought Australia two decisive victories.

West Indies suffered their sixth unsuccessful series in a row, making a sequence of twenty Test matches without a victory.  However, this was the last visiting Test team to win a Test series in the Caribbean until the Australians did it again under Mark Taylor in 1994-95.

Other Australian Tours

Previous tour

England 1972

Next tour

New Zealand 1973-74

Next tour of West Indies 

1977-78   

Members of the Test tour party  (15)

Openers:  Keith Stackpole, Ian Redpath

Batsmen:  Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, John Benaud, Ross Edwards, Doug Walters

Wicket-keeper:Rod Marsh

Spin bowlers: Terry Jenner, Kerry O'Keefe, John Watkins

Fast bowlers: Dennis Lillee, Jeff Hammond, Max Walker, Bob Massie.

State representation

  Sheffield Shield teams

N   New South Wales (4)

Q  Queensland (0)

S   South Australia (4)

T   Tasmania (0)

V   Victoria (3)

W  Western Australia (4)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(16 February 1973):

   27 yrs   3 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Redpath 46,  Ian Chappell 45,  Walters 36,  Stackpole 33,  Marsh 14,  Greg Chappell 13,  Lillee 10,  Edwards 6,  Massie 6,  O'Keefe 4,  Benaud 2,  Jenner 2,  Walker 2,  Walters 1,  Hammond 0.

Tour Officials

Victorian Bill Jacobs, 54, was appointed manager in November 1972.  He had managed the difficult task of overseeing the Rest of the World XI  tour in Australia in 1971-72, and had earlier managed the Australians in South Africa 1966-67.

Selectors

Neil Harvey (New South Wales),  Sam Loxton (Victoria),   Phil Ridings (South Australia).

Selection

Unavailable:  Paul Sheahan (on 1 January), Ashley Mallett (both for employment reasons), David Colley (injured)

Tour Party Announced :  4 January 1973.

Not selected :   Gary Gilmour,  Johnny Gleeson,  Paul Nicholls (Western Australian off-spinner).

Instead spinner Watkins won in place of Mallett, despite there already being two other genuine leg-break bowlers, Jenner and O'Keefe, in the team. All three were on their first tours.

Time between selection and departure from Australia          

        23 days

(4 January - 27 January)

Travel

Sydney   Q   Kingston

The team flew from Sydney on 27 January 1973. With a lengthy stopover in San Francisco, and a five-hour hold-up in Miami due to an engine breakdown, they arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, on 28 January.  The team had practice at the army barracks and then at Sabina Park.

Time spent in West indies

   x days

(28 January -

On-tour selection

Ian Chappell (captain),  Keith Stackpole (vice-captain),  Rodney Marsh.

Reinforcements

None.  When Lillee severely wrenched his back, it was decided that he would not return home early and, although Mallett was by now available, the Australian Board decided against flying out a replacement bowler.

Stackpole suffered from illness but when the team was down to twelve fit players and everyone was fatigued, the Board refused the manager's request for an extra players.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day international

Time spent in West Indies before First Test: 

  19 days

(28 January - 16 February)

Test appearances on tour

5 -  G Chappell,  I M Chappell,  Edwards,  Hammond,  Marsh,  O'Keefe,  Redpath,  Walker,  Walters.

4 -  Jenner,  Stackpole

1 -  Benaud,  Lillee.

0 -  Massie,  Watkins.

Highlights

•   .

•   

•   

•   Walters had a fine tour, averaging 71 with the bat, including two 100s and three 50s.

Tour Summary

Return to Australia

Trinidad  Q London  Q  Sydney

Ian Chappell paid a visit to Miami before taking up a coaching appointment in Canada.

Stackpole and Walker went to New York while Greg Chappell, Redpath and Jenner went on holiday either in the West Indies or United States.

The manager and nine players arrived in Sydney on 29 April.  Marsh and Walters passed the 30-hour long flight back by drinking as many beer cans as possible. 'They ran out of beer,' said Walters. 'We had to count spirits and all sorts.'

Time away from Australia

   92 days  

(27 January to 29 April)

Finances

Written accounts of the tour

"Kangaroo Invasion"  (1973)  by  Brunell Jones  [Curepe, Trinidad]

"Passing Tests"  (1973)   by Ian Chappell  [Lynton Publications]

Postscript