Two years after becoming a Test entity, the West Indies made their first visit to Australia under the leadership of Jackie Grant.  A powerful Australian side led by Bill Woodfull and including Bradman, Ponsford, McCabe and Grimmett was much too strong in each of the first four Tests, winning in just two days at Melbourne.  The tables were turned in the Fifth Test in Sydney.  George Headley scored his second century of the series before Australia were caught on a sticky which fast pair George Francis and Herman Griffith used to advantage, the latter bowling Bradman for a duck.  The West Indies went home on a high note.  One of the great players of history, Learie Constantine, failed to impress in the only series where he met the Australians.

Australia 4 West Indies 1.

1951-52

Twenty one years after their first visit the West Indies returned to Australia, their 1950 triumph over England fresh in the memory.  John Goddard's team included the three W's - Worrell, Walcott and Weekes - as well as the spin legends Ramadhin and Valentine.  Lindsay Hassett's Australians won the first two Tests before the WI had the better of a drying pitch at Adelaide, winning by six wickets on Christmas Day.  Australia squeezed home in the Fourth Test, Bill Johnston and Doug Ring adding 38 for the last wicket to pull off an amazing one-wicket win.  Gerry Gomez's ten wickets in the Fifth Test were not enough as Lindwall and Miller bounced WI out of the game.

Australia 4 West Indies 1.

1955

Australia's first visit to the Caribbean saw high scoring in all but the Third Test at Georgetown.  Clyde Walcott scored five centuries in the series, and Atkinson and Depeiaza shared a world record seventh wicket stand at Bridgetown, but they lacked a pace attack to match Lindwall and Miller. When the two teams reached Sabina Park in mid-June for the final Test, Australia scored 8/758 - their highest total ever, with no less than five century-makers - and this after being 2/7!

Australia 3 West Indies 0.

1960-61

Few Test series have shaped the history of cricket as much as this.  Two of the game's greatest ambassadors - Frank Worrell and Richie Benaud - led the way in a series with everything.  The immortal Tied Test at Brisbane was only the start.  After trading wins at Melbourne and Sydney, Adelaide saw twin centuries by Kanhai, a hat trick by Gibbs, and Mackay and Kline batting out the last 100 minutes for a last wicket draw.  Ninety thousand people saw the first day of the series decider at Melbourne.  When an Alf Valentine off-break beat wicketkeeper Gerry Alexander for a bye on the last day, Australia had won by just two wickets.  After the game, Frank Worrell handed a new perpetual trophy named in his honour to Richie Benaud and a tradition was born.

Australia 2 West Indies 1 Tie 1.

1965

Bobby Simpson's Australians met a West Indies side led for the first time by Gary Sobers.  Unlike series past it was the WI who had the new-ball firepower, in Wes Hall and the controversial Charlie Griffith, but it was Lance Gibbs who put WI 2-0 up with a brilliant spin display at Georgetown. The Fourth Test at Bridgetown saw double centuries to Lawry, Simpson and Nurse - but with a result impossible after six days the first WI series win over Australia was settled.  After Australia scored a consolation win at Port-of-Spain, the Frank Worrell Trophy passed to the  Caribbean for the first time.

West Indies 2 Australia 1.

1968-69

There was no First Test tie at the Gabba this time, as SObers showed his versatility with the ball to produce a 125-run WI victory.  Lawry, Chappell and McKenzie were the heroes of Australia's equalising win at the MCG, and after which they won at Sydney.  Adelaide saw an amazing high-scoring thriller.  Australia were cruising to victory before four run outs swung the game.  Last pair Sheahan and Connolly played out three overs to save the game 21 runs short of the win.  Doug Walters made an unprecedented double century and century in the last Test at Sydney.  Faced with 735 to win, Sobers and Nurse went down with guns ablaze.  The Frank Worrell Trophy was back in Australia's hands.

Australia 3 West Indies 1.

1973

For the first time in eighteen years, Sobers was missing from the WI team, unable to take part through injury.  Rohan Kanhai led the WI team against Ian Chappell's Australians who lost Dennis Lillee to serious back injury early in the tour.  After two high scoring draws, Australia won at Port-of-Spain by 44 runs after Lawrence Rowe was unable to bat in either innings.  Australia wrapped up the series at Georgetown despite a brilliant 178 by Clive Lloyd in his comeback match from serious injury.  Swing bowler Max Walker was the star of the series supported by Lillee's replacement Jeff Hammond.

Australia 2 West Indies 0.

1975-76

Rarely has such a one-sided series been so entertaining.  An Australian team close to, if not at, its peak outplayed an exciting but inexperienced West Indies outfit.  Andy Roberts and Viv Richards showed brilliance but the glory days of Gordon Greenidge and Michael Holding were still ahead of them. The WI's perfect record at Perth began in this series with an innings victory, Roy Fredericks' 169 being one of the finest innings of its decade. Greg Chappell began his captaincy career with twin centuries at Brisbane. Lance Gibbs ended an illustrious career by claiming the world career wicket-taking record in the Sixth Test at Melbourne.

Australia 5 West Indies 1.

1978

The spectre of Packer's World Series Cricket cast its shadow over this series, nine WSC-contracted WI players pulling out after the Second Test in a selection row.  Bobby Simpson's Australian team was effectively of third eleven strength.  After being thumped in the first two Tests, Australia scored a courageous win over the Alvin Kallicharran-led remnants, successfully chasing 362 for victory.  But at Port-of-Spain, Deryck Parry and Raphick Jumadeen spun Australia out for 94 and the Frank Worrell Trophy was back in Caribbean hands.  Australia was set for victory at Kingston when crowd rioting brought the fifth day to a halt with one WI wicket left to fall.  Officials and both teams agreed to come back on the sixth morning to complete the game, but one umpire refused to co-operate and the series was finished.

West Indies 3 Australia 1.

1979-80

With the reconciliation between WSC and the established governing bodies, an Indian tour of Australia was pre-empted to permit WI and England to play alternating Tests in Australia.  The foursome of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft bowled together for the first time in an official Test.  Hogg joined Lillee and Thomson, while Border and Hughes batted with the Chappell brothers, but the West Indies were much too strong.  A ten wicket victory in Melbourne was followed by a 408-run rout in Adelaide.  Vic Richards' lowest score of the series was 74.

West Indies 2 Australia 0.

1981-82

A three-month series that began with a low-scoring classic at the MCG.  Kim Hughes' aggressive rearguard first-day century and Dennis Lillee's fiery bowling, in which he broke Lance Gibbs' career world record, were the standouts of Australia's 58 run victory on a substandard wicket.  After a draw in Sydney, West Indies retained the Frank Worrell Trophy with a five-wicket win at Adelaide - a Test that was really settled on the first morning when Australia were 4/7.

West Indies 1 Australia 1.

1984

Australia suffered badly with the simultaneous retirements of Greg Chappell, Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee before this tour began.  For the West Indies, a new batting star called Richie Richardson was born while the fast bowling attack seemed to have limitless depth.  The First Test at Georgetown was drawn only when Greenidge and Haynes played out a 250-run unbeaten stand on the last day.  The Second Test was another draw when Allan Border held Australia together, scoring 98 and 100 without dismissal.  After that, the hosts put their foot on the accelerator, brushing Australia aside by ten wickets, an innings and 36, and ten wickets again.  The third successive defence of the Frank Worrell Trophy was complete.

West Indies 3 Australia 0.

1984-85

For Clive Lloyd, the world's most successful Test captain, this tour was his swansong.  On the other hand, Kim Hughes quit as Australian captain after the Second Test, too shattered to complete his resignation speech.  Allan Border began his ten year reign as captain, inheriting a 2-0 series deficit which quickly became 3-0.  After a splendid 208 by Richards at Melbourne, only a fighting hundred by Andrew Hilditch stopped it from becoming four on the trot.  Finally, in Sydney, the WI showed their weakness on spinning pitches, home town bowlers Bob Holland and Murray Bennett combining to bowl the tourists out of the game.  Lloyd's farewell 72 could not prevent an innings loss.

West Indies 3 Australia 1.

1988-89

Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh and Patterson were the new breed WI pace quartet, and together with a classy and experienced batting outfit, Viv Richards' team had the fifth successive defence of the Frank Worrell Trophy sealed by the end of the Third Test.  Walsh's hat trick at the Gabba was matched by Merv Hughes at the WACA.  Sydney again revealed the West Indian weakness against spin, Allan Border of all people taking eleven wickets in a seven-wicket victory.

West Indies 3 Australia 1.

1991

Haynes and Richardson were the cornerstones of the West Indies' ten wicket victory.  Greenidge batted eleven hours for the highest score of his Test career in his last innings at his home ground in Barbados, a week short of his fortieth birthday.  His 226 was better than three of the four team totals in the Fourth Test win, which extended WI's hold on the Frank Worrell Trophy into its fourteenth year.  With Steve Waugh unable to hold a regular spot in the Australian team during this series, brother Mark's century set up a consolation win at Antigua.

West Indies 2 Australia 1.

1992-93

Greenidge, Richards, Dujon and Marshall had all retired by the time this tour came around - and it showed.  After the West Indies held on to draw at Brisbane, Australia took the lead in Melbourne, Warne's 7/52 showing for the first tme how dangerous he would become.  Australia's 503 at Sydney was eclipsed by WI's 606, Brian Lara's 277 being the innings of his life (up to that point).  One of the most thrilling of finishes between these two teams happened in Adelaide.  Needing 186 to win, Australia pulled back from 7/74 to be 9/184 when Craig McDermott was out caught behind, though it appeared to be off his helmet.  West Indies won by one run, though a sharp stop by Desmond Haynes at short leg a few balls earlier probably prevented an Australian series win.  The decider at Perth was a mismatch.  Curtly Ambrose - perhaps as skilful in this series as any fast bowler in history - and Ian Bishop ensured that Australia were eliminated in two days and one third.

West Indies 2 Australia 1.

1995

Mark Taylor's team, described by opposing captain Richie Richardson as the "weakest Australian team I've played against", claimed a ten wicket victory at Bridgetown to open a low scoring series.  WI equalised in a Port of Spain Test where no team scored more than 140 on a substandard surface.  The defining event of the series came when the Waugh twins completed a double century stand at Kingston, Steve going on to score a solid 200.  When Kenny Benjamin was caught by Mark Taylor at slip off Shane Warne, the Frank Worrell Trophy returned to Australia's hands after seventeen years, the West Indies losing their first series anywhere in fifteen.  Australia's unchanged eleven throughout the four Tests featured outstanding bowling from McGrath, Reiffel, Warne and Julian.  For the WI, Ambrose and Walsh's efforts were not supported by the batsmen.

Australia 2 West Indies 1.

1996-97

A very strong Australian outfit inflicted big wins over their opposition, yet Ambrose and Walsh exposed the weaknesses often enough to make the series look closer than it really was.  Shane Warne played a secondary role to an improving Glenn McGrath in the Australian bowling, yet it was Michael Bevan whose ten wickets at Adelaide sealed the series.  Not one of the five Tests finished in a close result, but the West Indian 100% winning record at Perth remained intact.

Australia 3 West Indies 2.

1998-99

West Indies entered this series at home after a humilating 5-0 loss in South Africa. It just got worse at Port-of-Spain as they were bowled out in the second innings for 51, losing by 312 runs. No one, however, could have predicted the turn-around in the next Test at Sabina Park, an extraordinary 213 by captain Brian Lara as the home team won by ten wickets. The Third Test at Bridgetown was one of the closest of all time. Lara did it again, scoring 153 not out as the West Indies achieved 311 to win by one wicket. Steve Waugh, captaining Australia, scored 199 on a losing side. Lara blasted his third ton of the series at St John's, but it wasn't enough as Australia won the Test, tied the series and retained the Frank Worrell Trophy for the rest of the millenium.

West Indies 2 Australia 2.