Australia win toss, choose to bat in Hobart

The pair overtook the fourth wicket Test record of 437 by Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera against Pakistan in the 2008-09 season.

Voges was still there on 269 not out alongside Mitch Marsh (one not out) as Australia reached the break at 4-583.

“We’re obviously good mates as well as team-mates so to spend a lot of time out there together was tremendous”.

The Western Australian would have been the prime candidate to drop out of the side again when Khawaja regained his fitness, but his unbeaten 139 on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies, and his crucial 49 in a tense run chase last month in Adelaide, could make it hard for selectors to leave him out for the second Test in a fortnight.

Heading into the return series, the West Indies are ranked only above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and last won a Test in Australia in 1997, while they have failed to win a series Down Under since 1992-93.

“He was going really well and scoring runs freely and sort of got me going as well”.

Current West Indies coaches Phil Simmons (left) and Curtly Ambrose experienced the dominance of their side’s golden era first hand but now find themselves swimming against the tide. Shaun Marsh joined Voges at this stage and despite having struggled for form in the lead-up to this Test and having been criticised for making it to the team despite not really deserving the position in the team, he went on to add more than 300 for the fourth wicket in an unbeaten stand.

It is not all doom and gloom for West Indies.

It was slow going with the tourists bowlers only getting in 50 overs in two sessions of play and facing likely disciplinary action from the match referee Chris Broad at the end of the day.

West Indies had two other successes in the morning session with Shannon Gabriel bowling Burns for 33 in the 11th over.

Smith edged to slip off Warrican, who had Warner caught down the leg side after the left-hander became the first Australian to score 11 half-centuries in a calendar year.

Marsh said it was “very special” to score his first century in Australia and share in such a big partnership with Voges, whose run-a-ball century inspired him.

Smith then went for just 10, the victim of a good drifting and turning delivery from left-arm orthodox bowler Jomel Warrican, with the Aussies on 2-104.

Gabriel left the field with ankle trouble and will be further assessed overnight, a team spokesman said.

Voges brought up his double-century from his 266th elivery with a single to deep point off Jason Holder, and in the next over Marsh moved to his 150 from his 227th ball with a single off Taylor, also to deep point.