Sir Adam' shows value of never giving up

Having been made to wait until his mid-30s for a Baggy Green, Adam Voges is on the fast track into history
His teammates may jokingly now refer to him as "Sir Adam Voges" for achieving a career average that is currently better than Bradman's final mark, but the Western Australian is deadly serious about making every innings in the Baggy Green count. Voges' unbeaten 176 on the second day of the first Trans-Tasman Test in Wellington took him on a record-breaking spree that saw him reach stumps with a career average of 100.33 from 19 innings.

Bradman famously finished his career with a mark of 99.94 from 52 Tests. Voges has played just 14 Tests and while his current career mark is certainly Bradman-esque, only the foolhardy would suggest the 36-year-old is on a par with Australian cricket’s ultimate icon.

What Voges has done, however is grasp his opportunity in Baggy Green like few others. Former Australia opener Chris Rogers, who made the most of his second chance at forging a Test career when recalled for the 2013 Ashes five years after making his debut, paid tribute to Voges' tenacity. "I can remember not long ago having a conversation with him and him pretty much saying that he'd been told he wasn't going to play for Australia again and now look at him," Rogers told Optus Sport's Across the Ditch show. That 'never play for Australia again' chat centred on Voges' one-day international aspirations. He had played 31 ODIs before the 2013-14 home summer, but found himself down the pecking order for a middle order berth behind Michael Clarke and George Bailey. Indeed, Bailey's outstanding performances in Voges' last ODI series – in India in October 2013 – catapulted the Tasmanian into the Test team. Voges went back to the Sheffield Shield, scored 769 runs at 54.92 and kept trying.

www.cricket.com.au/news/sir-adam-voges-c...the-ditch/2016-02-13?