At 35, Adam Voges became the oldest Test century maker for an Australian on debut when he made a superb undefeated 130 in Antigua. In doing so, he surpassed a 95-year-old record of 31-year-old Herbert ‘Bert’ Collins, who made 104 against England at Sydney in 1920.
The circumstances in which Collins made that hundred and the similarities between himself and Voges provide fascinating reading.
The December 1920 Test was the first to be played since the end of World War One, indeed the first for more than eight years. Like Voges, Collins was a state captain, having led New South Wales, and a left-arm orthodox spinner and right-handed batsman.
Collins had served on the Western Front as a lance-corporal and became a very popular captain of the first AIF team after he had replaced Charlie Kelleway in 1919. So good a job did he do in this capacity that there was a real chance that he would be appointed Test captain in his very first Test.
Warwick Armstrong had declared himself available after the war at the age of 41 but his disputes with administrators had made the possibility of his captaincy uncertain. In the end, Collins was selected as his vice-captain. But quirkily, Collins, along with Ernie Bean and Algy Gehrs, were the national selectors and Armstrong was only appointed for the first Test.
As Max Bonnell tells us in his excellent and recently published biography of Collins entitled “Lucky – The Life of H.L. ‘Bert Collins: Cricketer, Soldier, Gambler”, he did not quite have to play the 160 first-class matches of Voges by the time of his debut.
However, it had been 11 years since he had played the first of his 66 first-class games. Like Voges, Collins was well travelled before he played his first Test. He had toured England, America, South Africa and New Zealand and had already faced most of the English bowlers touring Australia in 1920.
Collins opened the batting on the first morning of his Test debut with fellow war veteran, Charlie Macartney. Despite batting solidly, he was dropped twice and was even on his way back to the pavilion when an easy chance was put down after he had made 42.
Finally, when on 70, he was run out. In the second innings, fortune again played a part during his innings but he worked his way to his 278-ball century. Like Voges, he had played an integral role in a comprehensive Test match win. Armstrong’s 158 in the second innings secured his place as captain for this series and the 1921 tour to England.
Adam Voges can take heart from what followed for Collins. He scored another century – 162 – in his third Test and went on to play 19 Tests averaging an impressive 45.06. Once Armstrong retired, ‘Lucky’ captained his country on 11 occasions.
Surely, Voges, who could also be considered to have rode his luck after Chris Rogers’ injury allowed him to make this debut, is similarly set for a belated but successful Test career.
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