Hilditch retained his vice-captaincy role for the 1985 Australian tour of England. He began the tour, scoring 119, his highest Test innings, and 80 in the first Test loss at Headingley. He was then dismissed three times in the forties in the middle of the series. In the second Test at Lord's with Australia chasing a small target, Hilditch played a hook shot against an Ian Botham bouncer and was caught on the leg side boundary. In the fifth Test at Edgbaston, Hilditch again fell to Botham in the same manner. This happened a third time in the sixth Test at The Oval. Hilditch gained a reputation as a compulsive player of the hook shot.