1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

the West Indies

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

team toured England, playing three

One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...

s and five

Tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

beat

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

2–1 in the ODI series, then whitewashed England 5–0 in the Test series, and as of 2023 this was the only instance England faced such whitewash at home. This was the only test series were home side lose all tests of a 4 or more match series. The West Indies team was captained by

Clive Lloyd Sir Clive Hubert Lloyd (born 31 August 1944) is a Guyanese-British former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team. As a boy he went to Chatham High School in Georgetown. At the age of 14 he was captain of his school cricket team ...

throughout, and England by

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Te ...

. The average number of runs by the English captain was 19, as was the average number of runs per English player in the Fifth Test. Comedian

Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...

sang about the debacle in the song "N-n-nineteen Not Out", a parody of the

Paul Hardcastle Paul Louis Hardcastle (born 10 December 1957) is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his song " 19", which went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. Early l ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

song " 19".

West Indies touring squad

(captain)

Gordon Greenidge Sir Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge (born 1 May 1951) is a Barbadian, former first-class cricketer, who represented the West Indies in Test and One-day Cricket for 17 years. Greenidge is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest and most destructive o ...

Desmond Haynes Desmond Leo Haynes (born 15 February 1956) is a former Barbadian cricketer and cricket coach who played for the West Indies cricket team between 1978 and 1994. Haynes favoured a more measured approach to batting and scored 7,487 runs in 116 Te ...

Larry Gomes Hilary Angelo Gomes (born 13 July 1953) is a Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies cricket team, West Indian former cricketer. Cricket career Gomes toured England with the West Indian youth team in 1970 and made his first-class cricket, first-cla ...

Viv Richards Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards (born 7 March 1952) is an Antiguan retired cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Batting generally at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely ...

(vice captain)

Richie Richardson Sir Richard Benjamin Richardson, KCN (born 12 January 1962) is a former West Indies international cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team. He was a flamboyant batsman and superb player of fast bowling. He was famous for ...

Gus Logie Augustine Lawrence Logie (born 28 September 1960), commonly known as Gus Logie, is a former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago cricketer and is currently an international cricket coach. Logie played in the dominant West Indies team of the 1980 ...

Jeff Dujon Peter Jeffrey Leroy Dujon (born 28 May 1956) is a retired West Indian cricketer and current commentator. He was the wicket-keeper for the West Indies cricket team of the 1980s, an athletic presence behind the stumps as well as a competent mid ...

(

wicketkeeper The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. Th ...

)

Thelston Payne Thelston Rodney O'Neale Payne (13 February 1957 – 10 May 2023) was a Barbadian cricketer who played one Test match and seven One Day Internationals for the West Indies. Test career Payne played first-class cricket from 1978–79 to 1989– ...

(wicketkeeper)

Roger Harper Roger Andrew Harper (born 17 March 1963) is a Guyanese former cricketer turned coach, who played both Test and One Day International cricket for the West Indies cricket team. His international career lasted 13 years, from 1983 to 1996, and he w ...

Eldine Baptiste Eldine Ashworth Elderfield Baptiste (born 12 March 1960) is an Antiguan former professional cricketer. He played in 10 Test matches – all of which resulted in West Indian victories – and 43 One Day Internationals (ODI) for the West Indies, b ...

Michael Holding Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a Jamaican former cricketer and commentator who played for the West Indies cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pace bowlers in cricket history, he was nicknamed "Whispering Dea ...

Joel Garner Joel Garner (born 16 December 1952) is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early 1980s West Indies cricket teams. Garner is the highest ranked One Day International bowler according to the ICC bes ...

Malcolm Marshall Malcolm Denzil Marshall (18 April 1958 – 4 November 1999) was a Barbadian cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, Marshall is widely regarded as one of the greatest and one of the most accomplished fast bowlers of the modern era in Test cricket. ...

Courtney Walsh Courtney Andrew Walsh OJ (born 30 October 1962) is a former Jamaican cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches. He is a fast bowler and considered one of the all-time greats, best ...

Milton Small Milton Aster Small (born 12 February 1964) is a former West Indian cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each compris ...

Winston Davis replaced Small who went home with a knee injury.

One Day Internationals (ODIs)

The West Indies won the Texaco Trophy 2-1.

1st ODI

2nd ODI

3rd ODI

The three ODIs were played on 31 May, 2 June and 4 June. West Indies won the First ODI at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

comfortably, thanks to a huge 189* scored by

. England bowled West Indies out for 179 in the Second ODI at

Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also t ...

, and levelled the series 1–1, but West Indies restricted England to 196 runs in the deciding Third ODI at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

and won easily, by 8

wicket In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings: * It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...

Test matches

The Test series was a historic 5-0 "blackwash" to West Indies, with victories by wide margins in all 5 Tests.

First Test

England won the toss and decided to bat. Half an hour into the opening session, debutant opening batsman Andy Lloyd was hit on the head by a short-pitched ball bowled by

. Lloyd left the field and spent several days in hospital; he did not play cricket again in 1984 and never played another Test Match. England were soon in trouble on 89–5, but

Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...

hit 64 and England reached a total of 191, with

taking 4–53. West Indies reached 606 in reply, with five batsmen (and extras) reaching half-centuries. Top scorers were

(143) and

(117), who shared a third-wicket stand of 206. Richards also became the fourth West Indian batsman to pass 5,000 runs in Tests. Captain

scored 71, and the West Indian tail-enders were also in the runs, with number 9

(87*) and number 10

(69) sharing a 9th wicket stand of 150.

Derek Pringle Derek Raymond Pringle (born 18 September 1958) is an English former Test and One Day International cricketer for England, and is now a cricket journalist. Life and career Pringle was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His father Donald Pringle, who had ...

took 5–108, one of four England bowlers to concede over 100 runs. Despite 56 by

Paul Downton Paul Rupert Downton (born 4 April 1957) is the current Director of Cricket at Kent County Cricket Club. He had previously been the managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board between February 2014 and April 2015. He is a former ...

, promoted to makeshift opening batsman in the absence of Andy Lloyd, England were unable to save the match, losing on the fourth day, with another 5-55 for Garner.

Second Test

West Indies won the toss and put England in to bat. The decision looked poor after a

century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

opening stand, and England reached 286, with opening batsmen

Graeme Fowler Graeme "Foxy" Fowler (born 20 April 1957) is an English former professional cricketer and cricket coach, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England, and later for Durham. He appeared in 21 Test matches and 26 One Day Internationa ...

(106) and debutant Chris Broad (55) top scorers, and extras third on 35. Marshall took 6-85. England took a first-innings lead when the West Indies were dismissed for 245, with Botham taking 8-103. This was the first occasion that an Englishman had taken 8 wickets against West Indies in England. Clive Lloyd scored a modest 39, becoming the second West Indian batsman to pass 7,000 Test runs. In England's second innings,

Allan Lamb Allan Joseph Lamb (born 20 June 1954) is a South African-born former English cricketer, who played for the first-class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire. Making his Test debut in 1982, he was a fixture in the Test and One-Day Intern ...

scored 110 and Botham 81, and England declared at 300-9 early on the fifth day. West Indies achieved the target of 342 runs to win with ease, in 66.1 overs, losing only one wicket, thanks to an unbroken stand of 287 between

(214*) and Gomes (92*).

Third Test

England won the toss and batted first again for the third Test running. Lamb reached 100 as England were all out for 270, and 4-70 for Holding. In the process, Holding became the second West Indian to take 200 Test wickets. The West Indies secured a narrow first-innings lead, reaching 302, with 104* to Gomes, and Holding second-highest on 59. Paul Allott took 6–61. England were bowled out cheaply in their second innings, for 159, with Marshall taking 7–53, his best career bowling analysis to date (notwithstanding a thumb broken in two places), and West Indies reached their victory target with 8 wickets in hand. Batsman Paul Terry made his Test debut for England, but scored only 8 and 1. This was the last Test played by

Bob Willis Robert George Dylan Willis (born Robert George Willis; 30 May 1949 – 4 December 2019) was an English cricketer, who represented England between 1971 and 1984. A right-handed fast bowler, Willis is regarded by many as one of the greatest fa ...

Fourth Test

West Indies won the toss and batted first for the first time in the series. By the close of the second day, they had reached 500 all out, with a second double century for Greenidge (223) and a century for wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon (101). Veteran

off-spin Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...

ner

Pat Pocock Patrick Ian Pocock (born 24 September 1946) is a Welsh former cricketer, who played in 25 Test matches and one One Day International for the England cricket team between 1968 and 1985. The cricket correspondent Colin Bateman opined, "The sel ...

, recalled for the match, achieved England's best bowling figures, 4–121. In England's reply, their number 3 batsman, Paul Terry, playing in his second match for England, had scored 7 runs when he was struck by a ball bowled by

Winston Davis Winston Walter Davis (born 18 September 1958) is a West Indian former cricketer. Domestic career Davis gradually established himself as a bowler, taking 5–42 against Trinidad and Tobago in the 1981/82 Shell Shield, and he was signed by Glamo ...

. His arm was broken, and he left the field. England lost its ninth wicket with 278 runs on the board, needing 23 runs to save the

follow-on In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...

. Terry returned with his arm in plaster and hanging by a sling. He watched Allan Lamb reach his century, but was then unable to defend his wicket, bowled without adding to his score by

, his fourth wicket (4–51). England had reached 280, with Lamb again top scorer on 100*, his third century in consecutive Test matches, and extras second highest, on 44. England were made to

follow on In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...

, and were bowled out for 156,

off spin Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right arm, right-handed spin bowling, spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal Delivery (cr ...

taking 6–57. Terry did not bat for England again.

Fifth Test

In the final Test, West Indies won the toss again, and again decided to bat. England bowlers

Jonathan Agnew Jonathan Philip Agnew, (born 4 April 1960) is an English cricket broadcaster and a former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro" � ...

and Richard Ellison made their debuts, and England achieved rare penetration with the ball, reducing West Indies to 70–6. Clive Lloyd scored 60*, to bring them to a more respectable total of 190 all out before the close on the first day. Botham took 5–72, becoming the first cricketer to reach the

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

s "triple double" of 300 wickets and 3,000 runs in Tests. England's batsmen were unable to capitalise on the relative success of their bowlers. They were bowled out for 162, with only Fowler scoring more than 20, Marshall taking 5–35. West Indies piled on the runs in their second innings, reaching 346, with a century to

(125). Needing to score 375 to win, England subsided to 202 all out, with Botham top scorer on 54. Garner (4–51) and Holding (5–43) taking 9 wickets between them. On the final day, Pocock was the fourth Test cricketer to be dismissed for a "pair" in consecutive matches.

Legacy

West Indies achieved the fifth 5–0 whitewash in Test history, the first (and to date only) whitewash by a touring side in a test series that longer than three matches, an unusual feat for a series played in England considering its variable summer weather. By the end of the Fifth Test the West Indies had won eight tests in a row and would go on to set the then-record of 11 consecutive wins. This series is generally seen as the height of West Indies' power, and the West Indies would remain the dominant Test nation for the rest of the decade.

Annual reviews

Playfair Cricket Annual ''Playfair Cricket Annual'' is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review ...

1985 *

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

1985

References

External links

The 1984 series

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

, 19 June 2000
Cricinfo complete itinerary of tour
{{International cricket tours of England 1984 in cricket 1984 in English cricket

International cricket competitions from 1980–81 to 1985