Then captain Kim Hughes lost the captaincy due to his and the Australian Cricket Team's poor form after the Second Test and Allan Border took over.

Courtney Walsh was selected for his Test debut, and would go on to have a stellar career for the West Indies, taking over 500 wickets.

Two days of rain in Perth before the match had left the pitch unpredictable, and swing bowler Terry Alderman, playing in his first Test since his altercation with a pitch invader at the same ground two years before, took four wickets for five runs in 26 balls to have the West Indies at 104 for five,[1] after Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes had put together an opening partnership of 83.

[1] The pair batted all the way through until an hour after lunch on the second day,[1] putting together 149 runs for the seventh wicket, before Dujon was caught behind off Alderman for a well-made 139 which included 21 fours.

[1][2] But after they were removed, the middle order again provided feeble resistance, and only a final wicket stand of 59 between Alderman and Geoff Lawson delayed the inevitable innings victory until early on the fourth day.