Australians Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh put together the highest fourth wicket partnership in test cricket with a combined 449 runs on the second day of the first test against West Indies in Hobart on Friday.
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Earlier, West Indies had reduced Australia to 121 for 3 at lunch with David Warner (64) and Steve Smith (10) back in the dressing room, but Voges and Marsh batted through the remaining two sessions without difficulty.
Voges, 36, was untroubled by the pedestrian bowling attack and scored 40 of his first 50 runs via boundaries before coasting to his third Test century, this time off just 100 balls.
But the duo fell two runs short of Australia’s all-time highest partnership for any wicket of 451 held by Bill Ponsford and Bradman against England at The Oval in 1934.
The situation was even tougher for West Indies given they were without fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who had scans on his injured ankle after play on day one.
Warner, who was dropped on four, was out nearing lunch for 64 off 61 balls to a leg-side catch by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off left-arm spinner Warrican.
The veteran batsman didn’t stop there and continued to punish the West Indian bowlers as he walked out unbeaten at tea, after having completed his third Test hundred off exactly a hundred balls.
“We thought that we could have at least bowled them out for 250 or 280 but the partnership between Voges and Marsh was very good”.
West Indies picked Warrican as their spin option ahead of Devendra Bishoo, the wrist spinner.
Shaun Marsh surpassed his previous highest Test score of 148 against South Africa at Centurion in February past year before his dismissal.
Lyon had opener Rajendra Chandrika caught behind for 25 before snaring Marlon Samuels (9) and Jermaine Blackwood (0) in the space of five balls.
But he faces a massive challenge to provide his team with a competitive score against an Australian team eyeing off consecutive three-day Test victories. Mitchell Marsh, Shaun’s brother, will resume on one not out alongside Voges after the break, looking to rack up a few quick runs before a declaration.
“They toiled as hard as they could, they lost a bowler in Gabriel … so they’re a bowler down (and) there wasn’t a lot of assistance in the wicket for them”, he said. “I just have to keep working on my consistency”.
The second over of the day leaked 11 runs as Jerome Taylor strayed onto the pads of Voges, who clipped him easily for a boundary, and also benefited from four overthrows when West Indies’ backing up was inadequate after an attempted run-out.
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“We had Australia at 120-odd for three, but Marsh and Voges were both very good, and they put us on the back foot”, Warrican told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.
