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Voges' achievements deserve more respect

13th February, 2016
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Shaun Marsh is a bizarre answer to an unknown question. (AFP PHOTO / William WEST)
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13th February, 2016
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“Yeah, but he’s made most of those runs against the West Indies.” So many times I’ve seen a sour response along these lines when Adam Voges’ extraordinary Test record is brought up, even after his average passed 100 yesterday.

Apparently, in the minds of many cricket followers, the fact Voges failed in the first three Tests in the Ashes invalidates the astonishing run plundering which went before and since.

Surely, if it is so elementary to hoard gigantic mounds of runs against the West Indies, every Test batsman would do it?

If the West Indies attack is so puny and feeble then why could England not beat them in their three-Test series in the Caribbean last year?

Why did England batsmen Ben Stokes, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott collectively average just 25 with the bat in that series, which ended 1-1?

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Surely that English trio just should have activated the Voges-Windies Cheat Code which has allowed the West Australian to make 542 runs for one dismissal against the men from the Caribbean.

The Windies, apparently, are so bad that runs made against them should be stricken from the record books.

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Even if you erase his performances against the West Indies, guess what? Voges’ Test record still is astoundingly good – 662 runs at 60.

In the lead-up to this Test, Cricinfo’s commentary stream described New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Tim Southee as arguably the best new-ball pair in the world.

That should add some weight then to Voges’ achievements in four Tests against that highly touted duo – he has made 461 runs at an average of 115.

He is now the single batsman in history who’s scored more than 1000 Test runs, to have a career average of 100. The 36-year-old also has churned out 551 runs since his last dismissal, smashing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 497.

Voges’ phenomenal Test record looks even less fluky when you consider that, right before he earned his belated Test debut, he had hammered 1358 runs at an average of 104 in the 2014-15 Sheffield Shield season, with six tons from 11 matches.

We are not watching the kind of brief ‘purple patch’ most gifted batsman experience at some point in their careers. This is now 18 months of utter dominance in first-class cricket by Voges.

In that time, across 29 first-class matches, Voges has slammed 2701 runs at an average of 90. Few players in the history of the game have produced such astounding figures over an 18-month period.

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Voges was called up to the Australian Test team in June last year at the age of 35. The Australian selectors would have been hoping he could add experience and steel to the middle order and be a solid contributor for 12 to 18 months.

Among Australian cricket followers, there never was an expectation Voges would be a match winner, rather that he could be a grafter who other more dynamic players could bat around.

He put paid to that in his first Test, at Roseau. Australia were in dire trouble in their first innings at 6-126 with Windies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo running amok on a turning track.

Voges proceeded to peel off a calm and elegant 130 not out, guiding Australia from a perilous position to a commanding one.

In the current first Test at Wellington, he again has hauled Australia into a position from which they surely should win. An umpiring error aside, it has been another giant knock constructed with an ease which makes the opposition appear impotent.

They are not – this is a talented New Zealand attack which combined have 437 Test wickets to their names. It’s just that, right now, Voges is that good.

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