The Australian cricket team toured the West Indies from April to June, 2003, outside the normal West Indies cricket season, to play for the Frank Worrell Trophy.
It was Steve Waugh's last tour overseas and Australia were without Shane Warne who was on a drugs ban and missing Glenn McGrath for two of the Tests through injury. Their absence was compounded by painfully slow pitches, particularly at Bridgetown, and Australia played 5 bowlers in all four Tests.
The Test series would culminate during the final test at St John's, where there would be a vicious altercation between Glenn McGrath and Ramnaresh Sarwan, as well as a record run chase by the struggling West Indies side.
Whilst the West Indies saved face in the last Test and three ODI matches, Australia were clearly the superior team.
Squads
* ODIs only
Tour background
In early 2003, Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was banned from cricket by the Australian Cricket Board drugs panel. In a drug test, Warne was found to be positive for hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride, a form of diuretic. His year long ban saw Warne miss the 2003 Cricket World Cup as well as Australia's tour of the West Indies. Warne has denied taking performance-enhancing drugs and claimed that the substance was a fluid tablet from his mother.
Fast bowler Glenn McGrath would be granted leave from the tour early on and would return home to Australia to support his wife Jane, who had recently been diagnosed with metastatic disease in her hip.
Tour match
The university would win the toss in this tour match and elect to bat first. A young Chris Gayle would score a century, assisted by Jason Haynes, who would score a half century, but would be the only real resistance against the Australians. Stuart MacGill would take five wickets for the Australians, giving them momentum going into their innings, where Langer and Maher would start the innings with a 202 run partnership. The Aussies would declare with 258 runs on the board. A poor second innings would follow for the Chancellor's XI, with them only managing to set Australia a target of 95 runs. MacGill you grab another five wicket haul giving him 10 wickets for the match and man of the match honours as the Aussies would shuffle their line up to easily take the victory.
Test series
The teams played a four-match Test series, competing for the Frank Worrell Trophy, named after the first black captain of the West Indies. The trophy was first contested during 1960/61 in Australia, with the home nation being victorious.
1st Test
West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and chose to bat first on a flat pitch. West Indies scored 237, with a century by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but Australia, led by centuries from both Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting scored 489 in reply. West Indies replied with centuries from Ganga and Lara in the second innings, but left Australia a small target of 147, which was chased with the loss of only one wicket. Due to the flat nature of the pitch, Australia would benefit by using the unorthodox strategy of playing five bowlers, which proved to be a major factor in their victory. Justin Langer would be named man of the match, top scoring in both innings for the Australians.
2nd Test
Australia would win the toss and elect to bat first. The decision was criticised after the early dismissal of the Aussie openers, but Ponting and Lehmann would steady the ship with a 335 run partnership. The West Indian captain would hit another century, to get the West Indies to 408. In the Australian second innings Mathew Hayden would stand up with a century just before Waugh's declaration. On the last day the West Indies would fall 118 runs short of the 407 run target, giving Australia a 2–0 lead in the series.
3rd Test
After winning the toss the West Indies made the controversial decision of electing to field first. This Test would be controlled by Shane Warne's replacement, Stuart MacGill who took 4 and 5 wickets in each innings respectively. This test would mark the return of Glen McGrath from time with his wife. Australia's current and incumbent captains Waugh and Ponting would score centuries in the first innings, with Australia declaring for 609 runs. The future of Australian cricket was clear, but the West Indies had a leadership crisis going on. West Indies would struggle, only scoring 328 then being forced to follow on, where they would only be able to set Australia a target of 8, which was easily chased, clenching the series for the Australians, whilst also moving them to the top of the ICC Test Standings, making them the best test nation in the world.