Agence France-Presse
Melbourne, Dec 27: Skipper Steve Smith (134 n o, 177b 8×4) and Adam Voges (106 n o, 12×4) reached more career milestones as Australia tightened their grip over the hapless West Indies in the second Test here Sunday at the MCG.
Smith reached his sixth Test century of the year and 13th overall while Voges got his second on the trot when the skipper declared Australia’s first innings on 551 for three.
In reply the Caribbean tourists collapsed again and were 91 for six and trailing by 460 runs with three days left. Hobart Test centurion Darren Bravo was on 13 with debutant Carlos Brathwaite three not out.
Smith called a halt to Australia’s run plunder midway through the second day, while he was at the crease with Voges in an unbroken 223-run stand.
In the process Smith took over as the current leading run-scorer in Test cricket for 2015. At the declaration he had scored 1,404 runs, ahead of Alastair Cook’s 1,357 with England currently playing South Africa in Durban.
Voges also moved past 1,000 Test runs in his debut year with a total of 1,028 runs in his 18th Test innings. Only two other batsmen have scored 1,000 or more Test runs in their debut year: Australia’s Mark Taylor with 1,219 (1989) and Cook with 1,013 (2006).
Voges, who has yet to be dismissed in the series after scoring an unbeaten 269 in Hobart, lifted his average to an astonishing 542 in four Tests against the West Indies this year alone. The 36-year-old late bloomer was on 56 when Darren Bravo in the slips put down a low chance from him off Carlos Brathwaite. The Western Australian took full advantage of it.
With Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja getting tons on the first day it was the first time that four Australian batsmen had scored tons in a single Test innings in Australia. The last time Australia had four centurions in an innings overseas was against England in Cardiff in 2009.
Brief scores: Australia 551 for 3 decl (Steve Smith 134 n o, Adam Voges 106 n o); West Indies 91 for 6 (Nathan Lyon 2/18, Peter Siddle 2/19). Match to continue.
