Marnus Labuschagne says he feels privileged to join an exclusive club featuring some of the games greats by becoming just the eighth player to post a double-century and a ton in the same Test.
Labuschagne followed up his first-innings 204 with an unbeaten 104 off 110 balls in the first Test against the West Indies at Optus Stadium.
The 28-year-old joins cricket royalty including Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Greg Chappell and Doug Walters as players to have scored a double ton and a century in the same Test.
West Indies batsman Lawrence Rowe also achieved the feat in 1972.
"I feel very privileged to be able to be even named amongst some of those players in that club," Labuschagne said.
"As a player, you probably never know how special it is until time goes by and you get to those periods where you don't make as many hundreds and you miss out a few times, and you're like, 'geez, do you remember that day?'"
Labuschagne's twin heroics in Perth were by no means flawless.
In his first dig, Labuschagne nicked the ball a number of times and was dropped behind when on 194.
Labuschagne thought he was out on 19 in his second innings when he edged an Alzarri Joseph bouncer onto his helmet and was caught at gully.
But he was handed a reprieve given that Joseph had overstepped the mark and was called for a no-ball.
"It's one of those ones where you're rattled," Labuschagne said of the hit to the helmet.
"You get hit in the head flush, your head is spinning, your heart is racing. You're trying to calm yourself down. In those first few moments it's hard."
Labuschagne looked uncomfortable while facing that blistering spell from Joseph, raising questions about how he will fare when he faces South Africa's pace attack later this summer.
"Sometimes a lot of the West Indian bowlers bowl from really wide of the crease. Sometimes that angle is tough to get inside the line of the ball," Labuschagne said.
"It's certainly one that I'm going to be looking at, looking at my pull shots, making sure I'm opening my left hip up to access that ball there, making sure I'm getting on top of the bounce.
"You've got to go to the chalk board, trust it, and review it."
Australia declared during the lunch break at 2-182 in their second innings, setting the West Indies 498 for victory with five sessions remaining in the match.
The West Indies will resume at 3-192 on the final day, with Kraigg Brathwaite unbeaten on 101.
PLAYERS SCORING DOUBLE CENTURY AND CENTURY IN SAME TEST MATCH
Greg Chappell (Australia) 247no and 133 v NZ at Basin Reserve, 1974
Sunil Gavaskar (India) 124 and 220 v West Indies at Queen's Park Oval in 1971
Graham Gooch (England) 333 and 123 v India at Lord's, 1990
Brian Lara (West Indies) 221 and 130 v Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, 2001
Lawrence Rowe (West Indies) 214 and 100no v New Zealand at Sabina Park, 1972
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 319 and 105 v Bangladesh at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, 2014
Doug Walters (Australia) 242 and 103 v West Indies at SCG, 1969
Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) 204 and 104no v West Indies at Perth Stadium, 2022
