Adam Voges hasn’t worn the baggy green since November last year, but at 37 he’s called it a day internationally after an extraordinary career.
It started with a debut century against the West Indies at Roseau at 35 and 247 days – the oldest to achieve the feat.
He could only manage a couple of runs in his last dig against South Africa at Bellerive.
But midway through his 31 visits to the crease, Voges enjoyed a golden streak even Don Bradman would have been proud of with 269*, 106*, and 239 at an average of 614.
The Don only made three Test centuries on the trot once in 80 digs with 132, 127*, and 201 for 460 runs at an average of 230.
Only six Test batsmen in history, who have batted at least 20 times, have averaged over 60 in their careers.
Don Bradman (99.94) scored 18 on debut against England at Brisbane in 1928, and the world’s most famous duck in his final dig at The Oval in 1948.
Adam Voges (61.87) cracked 130* on debut in 2015, and just two in his final dig against South Africa last year.
South African Graeme Pollock (60.97) made 25 on debut against Australia at Brisbane in 1963, and four against Australia in his last dig at Port Elizabeth, his home town, in 1970.
West Indian George Headley (60.83) scored 21 on debut against England at Bridgetown in 1930, and one in his final dig against England at Kingston in 1934.
Englishman Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73) opened with 64 on debut against South Africa at Edgbaston in 1924, and 38 in his last dig at Lord’s against South Africa in 1935.
Steve Smith (60.13) is the only other owner of a 60-plus average, having scored just one batting eight against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, and his last appearance was 59 against Pakistan at the SCG last January.
Those stats are just scratching the surface, there are a whole heap of runs in store yet for the Australian skipper.
But Adam Voges is the story, and what an incredible story it is, especially why the Windies and Kiwi bowlers are high on Voges’ Christmas card list.
He has batted four times with three out outs for 542 runs – average a whopping 542.
Against the Black Caps he has batted nine times with three not outs for 594 runs – still a Bradmanesque average of 99.00
Now for mere mortal stats.
Against England he batted eight times with one not out for 201 runs at 28.71.
Against Sri Lanka after six digs for 118 runs – average 19.66 – and against South Africa after four digs scoring 30 at an average of 7.50.
From here on in Adam Voges will be leading Western Australia, showing no signs about calling a first class cricket halt.
But his name is cemented in cricket folklore as second only to The Don on career Test averages.
It will take one helluva career from a current batsmen, or maybe one not yet born, to dislodge him.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
As an opener I would pick Voges EVERY time against every opponent in the world.
Zozza
Guest
Spot on. Bracewell splattered this average batsman's stumps all over the place, only for the Umpire to have a meltdown and call no ball, when it so clearly wasn't even close to a no ball. Vogues wouldn't rate in the top 250 batsmen that have played the game at Test level. I don't give a sh#t what the "stats" say.
Art Vanderlay
Guest
Yassou!
Casper
Guest
W G Grace was allegedly clean bowled for a duck in a test, casually replaced the bails, retook strike and bluffed everyone because of his status in the game. Maybe Bradman needed lessons from him to get the 100+ average, or a friendly third umpire checking for no balls. The umpire's decision is final.
Peebo
Guest
Watson was 100 times the player that Voges is.
Peebo
Guest
I am actually. You see, the people I mix with don't mangle our beautiful language, so this side of me doesn't come out. And boy, when we put on a bit of Yanni and crank up the stereo record player, you'll find me dancing on the table!
Paul D
Roar Guru
Minimum 20 innings is pretty standard I would have thought
Casper
Guest
So what about Stuart Law, one test, one innings, 50+ not out, so no average?
Craig
Guest
Voges took his chance and you can't begrudge him that. Shane Watson was Voges-esque over his entire career. Every time he struggled, he would have a voges-esque run against a few weak oppositions on good batting tracks, and then struggle again. The cycle was embarrassing to watch and really unfair the selectors persisted with him for so long. If Voges started on a difficult tour then he would've been culled after a series or so, like many others before and after him. Watson in his last10 tests averaged 29. Watson in his first 10 tests averaged 26. Watsons 10 tests from 2012 (after returning from injury I think) he averaged 26. How on earth he managed to have such extended run is really beyond belief. (I will give him some credit, his bowling in his first 10 tests probably kept him in there, but from 2012 he hardly bowled and was fairly average when he did.
Craig
Guest
You must be a real hoot at parties.
David Lord
Expert
Good call Marcus.
Marcus
Guest
If I was Adam Voges and somebody ribbed me about having an overly flattering average, I would respond by saying, "You think my average is too high? Imagine how high it would have been if I had been picked at my peak? Selectors fvcked me."
sheek
Roar Guru
This is true, especially with a generation of English batsmen - Cook, Pietersen, Bell, Trott, Prior, to name some. All of them have plummeted from some pretty amazing averages at the middle of their careers.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
There's also the fact that most players averages drop off in the latter stages of their careers. It's one of the reasons I dislike comparing current players averages with players who've finished their careers. And also players like Saffers Richards and Pollock, who are way up the list but had their careers cut way short and thus never had the chance to go through form troughs and the end of career decline that tends to cause averages to drop a bit, so their career averages are over-inflated too. You have things like this: http://www.relianceiccrankings.com/alltime/test/ which applies the player ranking system across all players in test history. But it is just showing the best point that anyone ever reached. I suspect there would be a way to tweak it to calculate a complete career value.
David Lord
Expert
sheek, I'll give you another couple of way out stats. Bill Johnston was a world-class left arm paceman, but a true blue number 11 On the 1953 Ashes tour to England he made 102 in 16 games for once out - topping the tour batting averages with 102 well ahead of Neil Harvey 65.80, Keith Miller 51.17, and skipper Lindsay Hassett 44.14. Neil Harvey was one of the all-time great left-handed batsmen, and very much the social offie. But he topped the tour bowling averages with 10,25, also well ahead of Ray Lindwall 16.40, Bill Johnston 20.51, Alan Davidson 20.96, Richie Benaud 22.33, and Keith Miller 22.51. Both Bill, with a career batting average of 11.37, and Neil with a career bowling average of 40, thoroughly enjoyed the notoriety.
Jacko
Guest
But when NZ bowled him on 8 the umpire said "No Ball" and the call was WRONG and he made a double century after that. Stats are helped by bad umpiring.. His christmas list for umpires would be huge
Bobbo7
Guest
And lets not forget the non - no ball that allowed Voges to make 200 plus against NZ - that umpire should be the one getting a Christmas card! While Australia is the better team, in Test cricket NZ has had some miserable luck against the Aussies of late.
Peebo
Guest
Because when the going got tough he was hopeless. The hopeless usually don't average 60. That's how they lie.
Peebo
Guest
Brian, hear you've had a lot of rain in WA recently?
Steve
Guest
Please explain how Adam Vogues stats lie? -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.