The Australian cricket team toured the West Indies in the 1977–78 season to play a five-match Test series against the West Indies. The tour also encompassed a pair of One Day Internationals, plus six tour matches against the West Indies' first class sides.
The West Indies won the test series, 3–1, with one match drawn. The West Indies therefore regained the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy which had been lost in 1968. They would hold this trophy against Australia until 1995.
The furore over World Series Cricket had led the ACB to refuse to consider for selection to the national team any Australian player that had signed up to WSC. The West Indies Cricket Board took a different view, and chose a number of their players from those signed to the Kerry Packer organisation for the first two games. This led to the West Indies easily beating the tourists to take a 2–0 lead in the series. However, in the lead up to the 3rd Test in Guyana, the WICB made a decision to leave out three of their WSC contracted players, ostensibly to allow others a chance to play in test matches prior to the West Indies' tour to India and Sri Lanka later in the year, which would be at a time that World Series Cricket could not guarantee the availability of their West Indian players. The non-selection of these three players led to the resignation of Clive Lloyd as captain, and all of the WSC contracted West Indian players to declare themselves unavailable for the rest of the series. Australia won the 3rd Test, but lost the 4th. Australia were on track to win the 5th Test but the crowd rioted and the game had to be called off early.
Australian squad
Australia had just defeated India 3–2 at home during the 1977–78 season; however, the team was rebuilding in the wake of defections of players to World Series Cricket. Most of these players were available for selection but the furore had led the Australian Cricket Board refusing to consider those players that had signed up to play in WSC for selection to the national side.
The original squad selected were as follows: Batsmen – Bob Simpson (captain), Graham Yallop, Peter Toohey, Rick Darling, Graeme Wood, Craig Serjeant, Kim Hughes, Gary Cosier Fastbowlers – Jeff Thomson (vice captain), Wayne Clark, Ian Callen Spinners – Bruce Yardley, Jim Higgs All rounder – Trevor Laughlin Wicketkeeper – Steve Rixon
Replacements
Kim Hughes fell ill during the tour and David Ogilvie was flown out as a replacement.
Tour
Australia started the tour well with a victory against Leeward Islands, with Wood and Simpson both scoring centuries and Jim Higgs taking 12 wickets. While in St Kitts Kim Hughes came down with acute stomach pains and was diagnosed with appendicitis.
Australia then flew to Antigua for the first one-day international. Australia won the toss and elected to field. Jeff Thomson was no-balled six times in the first over. The match was notable for Desmond Haynes' international debut, scoring 148 runs. Gary Cosier scored 84 off 78 balls in Australia's response, but they lost through inferior run rate. The game was called off early because of time taking up due to fast bowlers' run ups.
Australia then flew to Trinidad and Tobago, beating that side in first class match by six wickets. Darling scored a century, Serjeant and Toohey made half centuries, and Australia's spinners took 17 wickets (nine of them went to Yardley). This game saw the first of what would become many clashes between the Australian team and West Indies umpire Douglas Sang Hue.
Australia's team for the test match consisted of Darling, Wood, Yallop, Toohey, Cosier, Simpson, Rixon, Thomson, Yardley, Higgs and Clarke, with Serjeant as twelfth man. However Darling fell ill and was replaced at the last minute by Serjeant.
It rained the day before the game and on the morning, so when the West Indies won the toss they elected to field. Australia were dismissed for 90, with only Cosier (46) offering much resistance. Simpson later criticised the preparation of the wicket. The Windies Indies easily passed Australia's total, despite good bowling from Jeff Thomson. Umpire Sang Hue also announced he thought Yardley and Clark were throwers.
When Australia batted again, Yallop scored 81 and Serjeant and Wood got starts, but Australia collapsed to lose 6–15 and lost by an innings. To make things worse Toohey fractured his right thumb.
Due to Toohey's injury and Hughes' health it was decided to send for David Ogilvie to join the squad.