The thought of Adam Voges’ batting average sends me into an irrational rage.
I’m sure he’s a nice bloke. I have nothing against him personally. But his announcement yesterday that he is retiring from international cricket means that he ends his career with the second-highest batting average of all time among batsmen who played a minimum of 20 Tests.
Second. Highest. Of. All. Time.
Voges is a fine batsman, I’m not disputing that, and he took his Test opportunity when it was presented to him, something many fine batsmen before him were not able to do. But the fact that he was selected at all, at the age of 35, says far more about the timidity and hopelessness of the Australian selectors in 2015 than it does about his Voges’ footwork.
Voges belongs in the long list of fine Australian batsman who never got their chance at Test level: Michael Bevan, Matthew Elliott, Jimmy Maher, Stuart Law, David Hussey, Martin Love – or any other of Stoffy18’s Unlucky XI.
Instead, Voges ends his career on a list of some of the greatest batsmen of all time, the most elegant, the most exhilarating, the most breathtakingly perfect strokeplayers the game has ever seen. Batsmen you couldn’t help but applaud, even as they were tearing apart your bowling attack.
Immediately underneath Voges on the list of highest averages across at least 20 Tests are Graeme Pollock, George Headley, Herbert Sutcliffe and Steven Smith. Further down the list are Wally Hammond, Sir Garfield Sobers, Kumar Sangakkara, Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Jacques Kallis, Greg Chappell, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
Now, ask yourself. Does Voges really belong on this list – let alone at the top?
Sutcliffe and Hobbs are arguably the greatest opening combination of all time, batting together 38 times for England between 1924-1930, during which they scored 3249 runs at an average of 87.81 – by far the highest average of any opening partnership in history.
And they did that on uncovered wickets, without helmets, against bowlers the calibre of Arthur Mailey, Clarrie Grimmett and Jack Gregory.
Pollock is regarded as the finest South African cricketer of all time, a batsman of extraordinary class who would have broken any number of records had his career not been ended at 26 by the anti-apartheid boycotts against South African sporting teams. He scored his maiden first-class century aged just 16 and he remains the youngest South African to score a Test century (against Australia, in 1964), as well as the youngest South African to score a double century in first-class cricket.
Don Bradman described him, along with Sobers, as the best left-handed batsman he had ever seen play cricket.
Hutton is another great English opening batsman, captain between 1952-1955, who still holds the record for the highest individual score by an English batsman in Tests (364 against Australia in 1938). He averaged 56.67 across 138 innings despite the fact his career was interrupted by World War II and a freak wrist injury that forced him to abandon the hook shot entirely. He was so good that Harold Pinter, one of the great English writers of the 20th century, was moved to an essay about him in 1969, called ‘Hutton and the Past’.
Pinter wrote: “Hutton was never dull. His bat was part of his nervous system. His play was sculptured. His forward defensive stroke was a complete statement.”
OK, that might not be a strong statistical argument, but show me the breathless prose about Voges.
Kallis, Lara, Sangakkara and Tendulkar are modern masters, whom many of us have been lucky enough to watch in their prime; no reminder is needed of their extraordinary play. Suffice to say we will still be speaking in hushed reverence about their batting in decades to come – all deserve consideration as the best ever to play for their countries.
Instead, when we look at this list of the greatest batsmen of all time, it will be forever besmirched by Voges. A statistical anomaly. An asterisk inserted in the post-Michael Clarke, post-Shane Watson, post-Brad Haddin confusion.
This list should remind us of audacious strokeplay, of willow flashing in the sunlight, innings that turned a Test series with their belligerence, that displayed impossible skill against world-class opponents – not some bloke who slapped around an appalling West Indian team three times, then scored a double hundred against New Zealand when he should have been out on seven after shouldering arms to a ball that clean bowled him.
The great American actress Bette Davis once said of Joan Crawford, her fierce rival, “You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good… Joan Crawford is dead. Good.”
Adam Voges is retiring. Good.
davSA
Guest
If you think he does then I would suggest a reality check
Don Freo
Guest
You just mentioned him in the same breath. You said that shouldn't happen. Maybe Vogsey's career compelled that utterance. Secret, silent awe.
davSA
Guest
Sure thing qwetzen and nobody is ever going to change that .. He is a fine cricketer , just don't think he should be mentioned in the same breath as Pollock , Viv Richards , Tendulkar ,even Greg Chappell , Ponting et al. Just don't , no matter what the stats say. Unlike the author I have no gripe against the guy for stuff out of his hands , it is what it is.
Bored
Guest
Steve Waugh did and was wearing brown jocks when he faced the Windies. By the early 1990s, the Windies were on their last legs, by 1994/95 they were cooked and the steep descent into the abyss began. Waugh brothers got lucky.
Don Freo
Guest
So...everything seems impressive there. "Cashing in..." is something any cricketer would want to do. Any fan would see that and be impressed. Yet, you seem so sad about it all. This isn't golf, Peebo. Big scores are good.
qwetzen
Guest
"So he [Voges] is now rated above Graeme Pollock." No. He has a higher batting average.
qwetzen
Guest
Well said CD.
Peebo
Guest
"…and despite those poor numbers, he still averaged over 60." Yes, because no one cashes in like Voges when the going is good. And again, you keep talking up the Kiwis last summer. Look at the batting averages against them in the 5 Tests. 4 blokes were over 80, including your Voges. Also, Voges 267 was against a 3 man Windies attack with Gabriel in the shed with an injury. He and S Marsh gutsed themselves against an undermanned attack. Enjoy your delusion.
davSA
Guest
So he is now rated above Graeme Pollock. . I was privileged to watch Pollock bat many times . One thing about it is you never forget the experience. During his school years when he came out to bat the cars came from all over the area to the field to watch him. When he went out , they went home. A similar thing happened when he played for Transvaal at the Wanderers. As soon as he came in the crowd filled up from local business districts only to dissipate when he was dismissed. I never saw Bradman obviously . The odd short movie clip , but Pollock remains the most complete batsmen I have ever seen bar none. Even the great Barry Richards did not come close. I have seen Voges bat , but it was forgettable. I don't disrespect him but hey , he really does not belong in that kind of company the author has mentioned.
The Bush
Roar Guru
That's not right Don. A bloke called Henry Wood did for England in about 1900.
David a Pom
Guest
Voges has a genuine claim to being the biggest flat track bully in test history. Though Dave Warner, depending on how he goes in India, is pushing as well.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Watson seems to be always fit to bowl in the IPL unlike for Australia. He is not getting 1.7 million because of his batting but for being an allrounder and he seem to be able to perform better in the IPL. You would also think with that 1.7 million he would be content to save himself for the IPL. I was suprised to find out he even played in New Zealands T20 for a couple of matches as they overlap with the BIG Bash,and now is in the Pakistan t20.
Caitlin Doyle
Roar Guru
'Tis the quirk of the beautiful game sometimes that averages may not reflect what the public believes the player truly deserves. Adam Voges', proper gent, paid is dues and fought hard for his country. He should be remembered for the contributions he made. This tirade of hate is misdirected and unneccesary for one of Australian cricket's nice guys, with an even nicer story.
Bakkies
Guest
Mark Waugh didn't play Test Cricket in the 80s. He débuted in 1991.
Bakkies
Guest
'I’m sure they were awesome players, but their test careers were cut short before they could have the periods of poor form and late career drop-off that most people have.' They were awesome players. Richards scored big runs in Shield and County Cricket in a era where those Windies bowlers played in those two comps. Throw in serious Pakistan and English bowlers. Scored 325 in a day against WA who had McKenzie and Lillee opening the bowling.
Bakkies
Guest
'He gets across his stumps, but I think that puts your head behind the ball better at or outside off stump, which is the key. ' KP did the same thing the Aussie bowlers struggled to get him out for a couple of series. When there was a rare chance to get him out cheaply flashing at a wide well outside off that he couldn't play to the onside Warne dropped a dolly
Bakkies
Guest
'I don’t think Mark Waugh was overrated at all. I think it was his attitude that let him down, too laissez-faire.' That and he faced some terrific fast bowlers on decks that were far tougher to bat on. Averages were a lot lower back then. Border and brother Steve were the only two Aussie batsmen that managed an average in the 50s. Border's would be higher had he not played in such terrible teams earlier on in his career. David Gower another naturally gifted player ended up with an average of 44 with 18 hundreds
Bakkies
Guest
Love was unlucky to get dropped but he played in an era where there was batting depth.
Bakkies
Guest
'Didn’t Mark Taylor declare on himself in India on 334 not out?' against Pakistan. Taylor was right to declare though for the team as the pitch was an absolute road so his bowlers needed more time to bowl them out.
Bakkies
Guest
'largely thanks to having home and away series against a hapless West Indies on good batting tracks' The pitches in the Windies were tough for batsmen and bowlers. The ball didn't help either. England had lost a test there just before the Australian tour. Smith and Voges were the only Aussie batsmen to average over 40. Voges' average was boosted by an unbeaten century. AC Voges 2 2 1 167 130* 167.00 328 50.91 1 0 0 18 2 SPD Smith 2 4 2 283 199 141.50 538 52.60 1 1 0 28 3 MJ Clarke 2 3 1 79 47 39.50 179 44.13 0 0 0 7 3 SE Marsh 2 4 1 112 69 37.33 228 49.12 0 1 0 15 1 JR Hazlewood 2 2 0 63 39 31.50 145 43.44 0 0 0 7 1 NM Lyon 2 2 1 27 22 27.00 52 51.92 0 0 0 4 0 DA Warner 2 4 0 98 62 24.50 141 69.50 0 1 1 11 3 SR Watson 2 2 0 36 25 18.00 86 41.86 0 0 0 6 0 BJ Haddin 2 2 0 30 22 15.00 33 90.90 0 0 0 3 2 MG Johnson 2 2 0 25 20 12.50 75 33.33 0 0 0 2 0 MA Starc 2 2 0 6 6 3.00 30 20.00 0 0 1 0 0