Cricket: Adam Voges constructed a faultless century in Hobart on day one of Australia’s Test Series with the West Indies.
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Jason Holder’s inexperienced squad arrived in Brisbane fresh from being swept 2-0 in Sri Lanka and went on to lose their only tour match against a Cricket Australia XI, which featured six first class debutants, by a crushing 10 wickets.
Voges and Marsh now have the overall fourth-wicket Test record in their sights.
Voges also registered Australia’s highest score against the West Indies, eclipsing Doug Walters’ 242 in 1969.
“It’s been a great day”, said Voges. “To be able to bat with Shaun for as long as I have and to put on over 300, it’s been excellent”.
“There are other guys who are just trying to settle into the Australian side who we can try to exploit and put pressure on if we can get their top order out”.
But it seems someone forgot to tell Australian veteran Adam Voges. His fellow thirtysomething Western Australian Marsh reached his first test 150 with another single soon afterwards and looked to be heading for a double century of his own as lunch approached. “I was facing him in the nets over the last couple of days”, Smith said.
SHAUN MARSH: “I definitely feel comfortable at this level”.
“I guess we were not as consistent as we needed to be”.
“He’s played enough. He’s been bowling really well, he’s been bowling really well in the nets as well and he deserves an opportunity and I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes”, Smith said.
“That Voges and Marsh partnership was very key as well”.
“I think Khawaja’s a definite; he has to walk back into the side”.
“We’re going to do well, we’re going to do much better than you think”.
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG).
Australia’s selection committee named fast bowler James Pattinson in the playing eleven to play the first Test against the West Indies in Hobart starting Thursday (December 10).
Warner, in particular, was in a sublime form as he blasted 64 off just 61 balls with 11 fours, thereby completing his 11th fifty of the year, which is the most by any Australian opener in a calendar year.
It was a big relief for Ramdin, who had dropped Warner in the 2nd over from a hard opportunity off Kemar Roach, diving across very first slip with his outstretched left glove.
To add to the Windies’ woes, paceman Jerome Taylor had a shocker and Shannon Gabriel broke down injured.
Gabriel left the field with ankle trouble and will be additional evaluated overnight, a team representative said.
Steve Smith’s team are hot favourites to win the three-Test series in dominant style against the tourists.
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West Indies are ranked above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and have won just four of their last 20 Tests.
