Voges, Marsh drive Australia to 257-3

The days when intimidating West Indies pace bowlers rampaged across Australia breaking bones and smashing wickets on the way to winning four of five series from 1979 to 1993 are long gone, and their last test win Down Under came in February 1997.

The Windies are underdogs heading into Thursday’s opening Test in Hobart after suffering an embarrassing 10-wicket loss to a Cricket Australia (CA) XI last week.

Voges, whose century took 100 balls, hit 19 fours in his highest Test score.

“It’s been a great day”, Voges stated.

They declared at 4-583 at lunch on day two after Voges – who remained unbeaten on 269 off 285 balls – and Marsh ensured the records tumbled.

Marsh, in scoring his third Test century and first at home also posed a dilemma for selectors about whether he will make way for the imminent return of Usman Khawaja from a hamstring injury.

“Not really, I have tried to enjoy it”, he said after day one in Hobart.

“(But) I definitely feel comfortable at this level.

“I’m one of the older guys by a fair way now, but hopefully I can just keep performing and keep contributing to the team”, Voges said.

The hosts are overwhelming favourites to win the three-match series and but for a slight wobble when they lost Steve Smith (10) and David Warner (64) before lunch, they simply dominated the tourists at Bellerive Oval.

Unfortunately for West Indies there were no chances created in the two sessions that followed and there weren’t too many appeals either.

“We just have to absorb that pressure early on in our innings as batsmen and when we bowl just be a bit more patient than we have been in the past”.

“That Voges and Marsh collaboration was extremely key”.

“I would not say they are vulnerable. And we never really finished them off”, recalled Ambrose on Wednesday. He got to the milestone on the penultimate ball before tea, scampering through for two with Marsh running to the danger end.

The morning began with West Indies needing to show some intent after their lacklustre display on day one, but the early signs were not good.

The wicket in Hobart is expected to have a green tinge come Thursday and that is set to delight the speedsters.

However, Voges and Marsh, who both began cautiously, exploited an increasingly ragged West Indies attack as the day wore on.

Warner had looked in complete control, but departed for 64 off 61 when he tickled a Warrican ball down leg side through to Ramdin.

It was a big relief for Ramdin, who had dropped Warner in the 2nd over from a hard opportunity off Kemar Roach, diving across very first slip with his outstretched left glove.

In the 10 overs he did bowl, Gabriel mixed the sloppy – a preposterous front-foot no ball – with the sublime – a 147.2 kilometres per hour rocket which went through the gate to bowl Australian opener Joe Burns for 33.