By his retirement 16 years later he had set new marks for Test appearance, captaincy and scoring records.

By 1981 he was a fixture in the Test team when he topped the batting averages on tour in England, and four years later he returned as captain.

Border's average improved as skipper, but it took time before that example rubbed off on his charges.

Despite defeat in 1985, he enjoyed his best return with 597 runs.

A further loss came in 1986/87 when his side suffered the ignomy of becoming the first to follow-on at home to England and face a declaration on Australian soil in more than 20 years.

But that low proved the catalyst for the period of dominance that Border saw in.

His team won the final Test and did not lose another Ashes encounter for more than six years - a run that was only broken in Border's last Test in England.