Roseau, Dominica: Two brilliant individual performances by players on opposing teams lit up the second day of the first Test in Dominica on Thursday.
Australian Adam Voges, at 35, became the oldest player to score a century on Test debut, while West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo bowled brilliantly to record a career-best six-wicket haul.
Voges, who finished on 130 not out as Australia took control, was asked how it felt to become the oldest century debutant.
“I’ll take it,” he told the host broadcaster. “People have been saying I’m the oldest guy for a lot of things. It’s been a lot of hard work, so I’m very happy.”
As well as Voges batted, his century would not have been possible if number 11 Josh Hazlewood had not survived long enough for the pair to put on 97 for the final wicket, matching a record for an Australian team in the West Indies.
“We sort of started by me taking most of the balls but by the end there I was quite happy giving him the strike. I thought he batted beautifully,” Voges said of Hazlewood, who made 39.
Voges paid tribute to Bishoo, saying his goal was to survive the spinner and then take advantage of the other bowlers.
“He bowled beautifully this morning and I just tried to find a way to get through him, keep ticking the scoring over,” he said.
“Obviously, when the ball went soft scoring became a bit harder so I was looking forward to the second new ball and fortunately cashed in when it came.” Bishoo, who finished with figures of six for 80, expressed satisfaction with his performance.
“When I started off yesterday the wicket was a bit slow and I had to bowl a bit faster. I capitalised as much as possible and it paid off,” the 29-year-old from Guyana told reporters after collecting his 50th Test wicket.
“Now I get my head right. I’m pretty comfortable now, happy with the way I’ve been bowling the last eight, seven months.”
The highlight of Bishoo’s haul was his dismissal of Brad Haddin with an inch-perfect delivery that pitched on leg stump and turned sharply to clip off peg.
Commentators compared the feat with former Australian great Shane Warne’s famous “ball of the century”, which bowled England’s Mike Gatting at Old Trafford exactly 22 years ago to the day.
“I enjoyed that one,” Bishoo said. “It’s a very special one.”
