Voges ton steers Middlesex to victory

Australian batsman Adam Voges has bolstered his push for an Ashes call-up, posting a composed century to guide Middlesex to a five-wicket win over Somerset.

The Middlesex captain hit 132 off 210 balls as the visitors reached their mammoth fourth-innings target of 402 on the final day in Taunton on Wednesday.

He was helped by Kiwi allrounder James Franklin (115 not out) with the pair sharing a 200-run fourth-wicket stand to coast to 5-405 with seven balls to spare.

Voges smashed 13 boundaries as Somerset toiled in the field without fast bowler Jamie Overton, who managed just 1.1 overs in the innings before an injured heel forced him off the field.

Voges’ first ton of the English county season followed his first-innings score of 98.

“I was very disappointed to miss out so narrowly on a hundred in the first innings, so it was good to get there today, although I would have liked to stay with James Franklin until the end,” Voges said.

“James paced his innings perfectly and was totally unflappable as we got nearer our target.”

The 35-year-old’s recent form puts him in strong contention for a Test debut following his selection in Australia’s 17-man Test squad for upcoming tours of West Indies and England.

Voges edged out rising Australian star Joe Burns to win his spot last month, with national selector Rod Marsh attributing the call-up to “pure weight of runs” after the West Australian veteran plundered 1358 runs at an average of 104 in the Sheffield Shield.

Voges will be available for Middlesex’s next championship match with Durham followed by their first T20 Blast meeting with Gloucestershire on May 15, before joining the national squad in the Caribbean for the two-Test tour.

Queenslander Burns will replace him at Middlesex.

The 25-year-old, who made his Test debut against India over the summer, will stay in England from early next month until mid-July.

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