Bookended at Sydney
debutantes Murray Bennett and Craig McDermott to face an unchanged West Indies team. A conservative approach by Lloyd, saw his declaration coming 15 minutes into the final morning, setting Australia a target of 370 in 275 minutes plus 20 overs. It was a little too late as Hilditch, upon his return to Test cricket after five years, held out for 338 minutes, with gritty support from Border, wicketkeeper Steve Rixon, and finally Bennett, earned the home side a hard-earned draw. Seventeen balls were left when Hilditch was the seventh batsman dismissed, but the West Indies couldn’t remove the tailenders. The winning streak had been broken, but a new record of 27 consecutive Test matches without defeat had been established, surpassing the mark of 26 set by England between June 1968 and August 1971.
Sydney bookend
The Fifth Test began three days later at Sydney. Lloyd’s final Test as captain was not a memorable one, as the West Indies succumbed to the leg spin of Bob Holland and the orthodox left arm spin of Bennett by an innings and 55 runs. Scores: Australia: 471; Kepler Wessels, 173, Border, 69. West Indies: 163; Holland 6 for 84, Bennett 2 for 45, & 253, Lloyd, 72, Richards, 58, Holland, 4 for 90, Bennett, 3 for 79. The unbeaten streak which had begun three years earlier on the 2nd January in the Second Test at Sydney had ended on the 2nd January, 1985, in the Fifth Test at Sydney.
The West Indies’ Test cricket record of 27 consecutive matches without a loss lies in the shadow of the colossal 15-year (1980-1995) streak of 29 successive Test series without defeat. The achievement spans six series on four continents spread over three calendar years, from January 1982 to December 1984. The record is now approaching its fortieth year of existence, and its magnitude continues to gain more prominence with each passing year.
Other unbeaten streaks
Australia: 25 - March 1946 to February, 1951 Australia: 22 - September, 2005 to January, 2008 India:19 - August, 2015 to February, 2017 England:18 - February, 1959 to June, 1961 Australia: 18 - September, 1999 to February, 2001 Australia:17 - October, 1956 to December, 1959 India: 17 - September, 1985 to March, 1987 Australia: 16 - December, 1920 to January, 1925 Pakistan: 16 - November, 1986 to April, 1988
Consecutive Test wins
Australia have two 16-win streaks: October 1999 to February 2001, and December 2005 to January 2008. The West Indies’ win streak of 11 is the third longest.
Note
Dating back to the First Test versus New Zealand in February, 1980, at Dunedin, New Zealand, the West Indies played 43 Test matches up to (and including) the Fourth Test at Melbourne, incurring only one loss, the First Test at Melbourne, December, 1981, versus Australia.