The 1984 series

Andy Lloyd: A painful end to his Test career

The first Test of the series will be remembered as the match that saw Warwickshire's Andy Lloyd make a brief England debut.

The opening batsman was struck on the helmet by Malcolm Marshall on the first day when on 10 and hosptialised for several days with blurred vision. He never played Test cricket again.

The hostile spell which claimed Lloyd did not gain Marshall any wickets - but Joel Garner picked up of four and Ian Botham's 64 was the highest-score in a poor England total of 191.

The moment of impact

The West Indies amassed a mammoth 606 with both Larry Gomes (143) and Richards (117) making centuries, Eldine Baptiste 87, Lloyd 71 and Holding 69. All the bowlers suffered, but Derek Pringle claimed the best figures of five for 108.

Without the injured Lloyd, wicket-keeper Paul Downton was promoted to opener and made a decent fist of it, scoring 56 as England fell again to the pace of Garner whose five wickets gave him match figures of nine for 108 as they were all out for 235 - a win to the visitors by an innings and 180 runs.

The second Test, at Lord's, saw England make a better start than they had done at Edgbaston. They scored 286 after Chris Broad and Graeme Fowler had shared an opening partnership of 101, with Fowler going on to make 106.

The tourists could only manage 245 in reply, and Ian Botham became the first player to take eight wickets in an innings against the West Indies in England.

Already leading by 41, England made 300 for nine in their second innings, with Allan Lamb hitting 110. It left the West Indies a target of 342 to win, and gave England the best part of a day in which to bowl them out.

Greenidge: Punishes a loose delivery

But, in a remarkable exhibition of batting, the West Indies achieved their target in 66 overs and for the loss of just one wicket. Gordon Greenidge scored a mammoth 214 not out, and Larry Gomes made an unbeaten 92, to condemn England to a crushing defeat, and a 2-0 series deficit.

Lamb continued his rich vein of form at Headingley, taking on the fearsome West Indies pace attack to score a second century in successive matches.

During the course of the innings, Michael Holding became the fourth West Indies bowler to take 200 Test wickets, as England managed 270 all out.

Paul Allott took 6 for 61 when the West Indies got to the crease, but he could not stop them taking a 32-run lead, as Larry Gomes hit another century (104 not out).

What followed was a Malcolm Marshall masterclass. He tore his way through England's second innings, recording his best ever Test figures, 7 for 53.

England were left clinging to a meagre 127-run lead, and the West Indies were never in trouble as they wrapped up a comfortable win, and took an unassailable 3-0 series lead.

Holding: Still capable of fearsome pace

England went to Old Trafford keen to salvage some pride, after being outclassed in the previous three Tests. Instead they suffered yet another heavy defeat.

Veteran spinner Pat Pocock was recalled for the match, after an absence of 86 Tests, but he conceded more than 100 runs, as the England attack was ravaged once more. Greenidge became the second West Indian after Viv Richards to hit two double-centuries in a series, and wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon contributed 101, as the West Indies made a first innings total of 500.

England, by contrast, had Lamb to thank as they came within 20 runs of avoiding the follow-on. He became the first Englishman since Ken Barrington, in 1967, to score hundreds in three successive Tests.

His hundred, and the 44 extras conceded by the West Indies bowlers were the main contributors to England's 280 all out.

Following-on, it was Roger Harper's turn this time to whittle England out. His six for 57 helped ensure that England were bowled out for 156, and that the West Indies won by an innings and 64 runs.

The first day of the fifth and final Test at the Oval brought a rare moment of cheer for English supporters, as Ian Botham became the first player to complete the 'triple double' of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket.

Botham: Overjoyed after collecting his 300th Test wicket

His five for 72 contributed to the West Indies' comparative failure in their first innings - they were bowled out for 190. England still could not manage a first innings lead, however. Malcolm Marshall (5 for 35) was once again the tormentor-in-chief, as they were bowled out for 162.

The West Indies hit back immediately, and with the help of a Desmond Haynes century, scored 346, setting England a victory target of 375.

At 90 for four, this never looked like being a reachable target, and Michael Holding picked up five wickets to give the West Indians a 172-run victory.

Pocock made history on the final day, but for unfortunate reasons as he became the second Englishman after R. Peel (1894-5) to be dismissed for a 'pair' twice in consecutive matches.

But for the West Indies it was the culmination of a quite amazing tour. It was the fifth five-Test whitewash in history, but, significantly, the first to occur in England.