Cricket: Voges talks down bumper average

Australia batsman Adam Voges.
Australia batsman Adam Voges.
Unassuming at all times, Adam Voges' latest nicknames don't sit too well with the Australia batsman.

Teammates have dubbed him 'Don' and 'Sir Voges' following a polished knock of 239 in Wellington.

Voges gave Australia complete control of the trans-Tasman Test series opener but also lifted his test average to 97.46.

That number had soared past Don Bradman's iconic mark of 99.94 and above 105 during the second double-ton of his 14-Test career.

Voges, the 10th wicket to fall in Australia's monster first-innings total of 562, was almost relieved to be dismissed.

"I'm probably happy that I'm out now and it's gone back under [Bradman]," Voges said of his average.

"That doesn't sit all that comfortably with me.

"I can just get on with playing cricket I guess.

"The boys had a bit of fun taking the mickey out of me in the change rooms."

Even if the 36-year-old scores a duck in his next test innings, his average will drop to only 90.50.

"It was never going to stay there, it won't stay there. I know that. So it was always going to happen at some stage," Voges said of falling below Bradman's mark.

Voges rightly feels in career-best form, having snatched Sachin Tendulkar's record of most runs between dismissals in Test cricket.

"I'm giving myself every chance to get in each time I bat and then when I do get in I'm hungry to score runs and score big runs," Voges said.

"I'm still learning, still getting better."

Voges made his test debut at age 35 in Dominica last June, scoring 130 not out to be named man of the match.

He struggled early on in the 2015 Ashes but shored up his place in the XI by finishing the five-test series with a pair of half-centuries.

Discounting the day-night test, the veteran has scored 858 runs at 286 since the start of the 2015-16 season.

"It's been an amazing year," Voges said.

"I still sit down at times and just reflect on what's happened.

"It's amazing what some hard work, runs, confidence and opportunity can do.

"Hopefully there's a bit more left."

Highest test batting averages (minimum 1000 runs)

*99.94: Don Bradman, 6996 runs from 80 innings with 29 tons

*97.46: Adam Voges, 1267 runs from 19 innings with five tons

*63.05: Sid Barnes, 1072 runs from 19 innings with three tons

Highest test scores by an Australian in NZ

*250 by Doug Walters at Christchurch, 1977

*247no by Greg Chappell at Wellington, 1974

*239 by Adam Voges at Wellington, 2016

Most runs between dismissals in test cricket

*614: Adam Voges

*497: Sachin Tendulkar

*490: Garfield Sobers.

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