The West Indies and Australians drew their final test match of this group as rain and bad light prevented what would have been a fascinating finish at the recreation ground, Antigua.
Viv Richards won the toss and elected to field first on a decent looking wicket, but one that was expected to take spin later in the game. The West Indies pace battery has been superb in this series, but they were off their game here, with Malcolm Marshall the only real standout.
Australia were bowled out at the end of day One for 309. Dean Jones batted beautifully, hitting 132 not out and he was supported by Kim Hughes (38) and Graham Yallop (52). Marshall was pick of the bowlers, taking 6 for 32.
West Indies struggled in their first innings, and were quickly reduced to 51 for 3. Richards rescued his team, supported by Gomes and then Payne. Richards hit a studious 102 in 197 balls and the West Indies were all out for 257. Geoff Lawson bowled brilliantly with the 2nd new ball, finishing with 6 for 66
Australia led by 56 and they took full advantage of decent batting conditions. They made 365 for 9 declared in their 2nd innings. David Boon top scored with 88 but had support with another fifty from Yallop as well as 60 not out from Wayne Phillips and 46 more from Jones. Malcolm Marshall took his second 5 wicket haul of the game, with figures of 5 for 84.
West Indies needed 422 to win in 3 and a half sessions and started well enough before losing Desmond Haynes near the end of day 4. They ended the 4th day on 70 for 1 with Day 5 set up for a thrilling finale. Unfortunately heavy cloud greeted the players on day 5 and heavy rain washed out the morning session. Play resumed in the afternoon, but the weather was ever present and the game now seemed set for a draw.
A brilliant stand of 132 between Richards and Greenidge was finally broken at 4:18 by Greg Matthews. Greenidge made 77, while Richards hit another century, ending on 105. The Aussie offspinner then combined with Merv Hughes and they cut through the West Indies lineup in a fascinating hours play. The West Indies lost 4 for 64 and were 239 for 5 with 90 minutes still potentially to play (lost time for rain).
The Australians kept chipping away and the West Indies were 252 for 8 when the last hour began. Unfortunately the light was very poor by this time and the umpires had no choice but to end the days play at 6:16pm.
The match ended as a draw. It was an agonising finish for Australia, who now need to wait for the outcome of the game between the Rest of the World and England to see if they qualify for the next round.
This Australian team has played some fantastic cricket and finish the group unbeaten with all 3 games ending in a draw. Special mention must be made to Dean Jones. He hit 460 runs in 6 innings with 2 centuries and 3 fifties, averaging 115. The man of the match here goes to Viv Richards for his 2 centuries, that undoubtedly prevented an Australian victory.
West Indies 1980s: CG Greenidge; DL Haynes; IVA Richards [c]; RB Richardson; HA Gomes; RA Harper; MD Marshall; TRO Payne [w]; CEL Ambrose; J Garner; BP Patterson
Australia 1980s: DC Boon; GN Yallop; KJ Hughes; AR Border [c]; DM Jones; GRJ Matthews; WB Phillips [w]; GF Lawson; MG Hughes; BA Reid; TM Alderman
Australia 1980s 1st Innings 309-10 (86.2 Ov)
DM Jones 132*, GN Yallop 52, KJ Hughes 38, MD Marshall 6-32, CEL Ambrose 2-71
West Indies 1980s 1st Innings 253-10 (100.3 Ov)
IVA Richards 102, TRO Payne 47*, HA Gomes 28, GF Lawson 6-66, MG Hughes 3-54
Australia 1980s 2nd Innings 365-9 (100 Ov)
DC Boon 88, GN Yallop 68, WB Phillips 60*, MD Marshall 5-84
West Indies 1980s 2nd Innings 265-8 (72 Ov)
IVA Richards 105, CG Greenidge 77, MD Marshall 27, GRJ Matthews 4-71, MG Hughes 3-107
Match Drawn
Man of the match: IVA Richards
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