Voges century puts Australia on top

Full scorecard: West Indies v Australia

A brilliant century on Test debut from Adam Voges has helped Australia recover from another disappointing performance against the turning ball and be in a dominant position after the second day of the first Test against the West Indies in Dominica.

Voges finished unbeaten on 130 from 247 balls to become the oldest man in history to score a hundred in his first Test and the 20th Australian to achieve the feat.

Video: Voges scores century on debut

More importantly, he expertly steered Australia from a perilous 6-126 to a total of 318 in reply to the home side's 148.

MORE: Adam in vogue to punish Windies

Voges was the only frontline Australian batsman to resist against a quality display of leg-spin from Devendra Bishoo, who took career-best figures of 6-80.

Video: Bishoo puts Aussies in a spin

The Windies lost both openers before stumps to be 2-25 at the close, a deficit of 145, with 22 wickets falling in a chaotic opening two days of the match.

"It's a bit of a blur really to be honest," Voges said of the moment he brought up three figures.

"I just yelled I think. I just had my hands up in the air yelling. Just pure elation.

"It's been a long road, it's been a lot of hard work.

"Just to get the opportunity firstly and then to make the most of it and get a hundred on debut, is something I've been thinking about for a long time."

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Mitchell Johnson celebrates removing Shai Hope // Getty Images

Voges heaped praise on Australia's tail for helping to push their lead out to a point that will be very difficult to run down on this surface.

"Every run that we could get in front and every part of that lead was going to be crucial," he said.

"Like I said, I think the wicket is getting harder and harder to bat on.

"I think Nathan Lyon will come into the game a lot tomorrow along with our quicks.

"So to get a 180 run lead, to put on nearly 100 for the last wicket was a terrific effort."

Australia started the day on 3-85 and Bishoo struck an early blow by removing Steve Smith, who advanced down the track for the third time in the over to be stumped by Denesh Ramdin for a patient – at least until that point – innings of 25.

The leg-spinner had his third victim of the innings a short time later when Shane Watson edged a expansive drive to second slip to fall for 11, meaning half of the Australians had been removed with the deficit still 36.

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Watson departs as West Indies celebrate // Getty Images

Watson's dismissal brought another round of drumming and horn-blowing from the enthusiastic locals, who again turned out in solid numbers despite it being a work day and the island boasting an official population of just over 70,000 people.

And the home crowd was on its feet again a short time later when Bishoo ripped a textbook leg-break past Brad Haddin's bat and into his off stump to leave the tourists 6-126. It was a beautiful piece of bowling from the Guyanan and it illicited a cry of 'bowling Shane' from a local member of the press box, unknowingly on the 22nd anniversary of Warne's Ball of the Century at Old Trafford.

Bishoo bowled unchanged for 90 minutes from the River End to start the day, taking 3-25 from nine overs to bring the home side back into the match and possibly leave the Windies wondering if they should have selected a second frontline spinner.

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Bishoo celebrates a wicket with Ramdin // Getty Images

Defiant through the morning carnage was Voges, who unlike most first-gamers has the experience of over 10,000 first-class runs and almost 13 years in the domestic system to draw upon.

The right-hander patiently added 25 runs in the first session to be 45 not out at lunch and give Australia a narrow lead, with Mitchell Johnson helping him move the score to 6-153 at the break.

Voges reached his half-century shortly after the interval when he pulled a long hop from Marlon Samuels to the square leg boundary, the 35-year-old becoming the second oldest Australian after Arthur Richardson in 1924 to score more than 50 in his first Test.

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Voges salutes his half-century // Getty Images

He and Johnson then brought up their 50-run partnership – the first of the match – but the left-hander fell for 20 soon afterwards when he lobbed a sweep shot off Bishoo to backward square leg, handing the leggie his fifth wicket.

Five became six two balls later when Mitchell Starc swung hard and was bowled for 0, giving Bishoo his 50th Test scalp in his 13th match and ensuring he would finish the innings with career-best figures.

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Starc is bowled by Bishoo // Getty Images

But there was plenty of wag in the Australian tail as Nathan Lyon (22) and Josh Hazlewood (39) helped Voges reach a memorable hundred.

The milestone appeared to be out of Voges's reach when Lyon was the ninth man out with the score 221 and the veteran still 23 runs short of his century.

But he slowly moved through the 80s and into the 90s by cleverly farming the strike from Hazlewood, who was solid in defence when required, and then moved to 98 with a straight six off the bowling of Jerome Taylor.

A single to mid-off took him to 99 and he moved to three figures with another single behind square on the leg-side, letting out an enormous roar and holding both arms aloft in celebration.

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Voges embraces Hazlewood after scoring his ton // Getty Images

The tea interval did little to end the frustration for the home side, the last-wicket pair adding 38 extra runs after the break before their union was finally ended just three runs short of a century stand when Samuels bowled Hazlewood for 39, the first time he's been dismissed in Test cricket.

Voges finished unbeaten on 130 not out with 13 fours and a six and accepted the warm applause of a crowd whose Australian contingent became more vocal as the runs and refreshments flowed after tea.

The Australians rammed home their advantage in the final hour, with Johnson having Shai Hope well caught by Michael Clarke and second slip and Starc clean-bowling Kraigg Brathwaite with a delightful inswinger next ball to leave the home side 2-25 at the close.