BBL desire burns bright with Joe
The action-packed BBL has taken the country by storm, especially the players, writes Terry Mallinder
JOE Burns is in rare form. Playing for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, he notched scores of 81 and 103 against West Australia in Perth before backing up with an unbeaten 202 against South Australia in Cairns.
Such is his scintillating touch against the red ball the 28-year-old couldn’t be blamed for wanting the four-day games to continue over the festive season. But that’s far from the case.
The BBBL is here and for the players it’s like ... well, Christmas. Personally, Burns can’t wait to swap the whites for the teal. “When you’ve got 35,000 fans at the Gabba … yeah, I’m looking forward to the BBL,” he says. “Obviously it’s nice to play first-class cricket when you’re in form. “But it’s a great time of the year, (and the BBL) a great tournament to be a part of.” The Heat will kick off their BBL|07 campaign on Wednesday night when they host the Melbourne Stars at a packedout Gabba.
It will follow Tuesday’s blockbuster opening to the domestic 20-overs-a-side competition in Sydney when the Sixers take on the Thunder. “Domestic players obviously don’t get a chance to play in front of massive crowds... other than the BBL,” Burns says.
“It’s one of the reasons why players look forward to it so much... that atmosphere, the intensity of it.
“To play in front of 35,000 screaming fans, there’s no real substitute for that.
“There’s no real way to prepare for it either. It’s just a matter of embracing it.”
With more than a million people attending over the season, the BBL attracted an average 30,114 fans per match in 2016-17, making it among the world’s top-10 patronised domestic sporting competitions.
The highest turnout was for the New Year’s Day Melbourne derby between the Stars and Renegades at the MCG, with 71,162 spectators attending.
Twenty of the 35 games last season were sell-outs.
Burns realised just how ‘big’ the Big Bash has become for the fans 12 months ago.
“I think, for me, it was the first game last year (at the Gabba) when it was sold out,” he recalls.
“Not so much the game, but two days out from the game.
“I was sitting in a cafe … (and) heard a group of guys talking about how they were going to the cricket (to watch the Heat). It just became part of their plans for the weekend.
“As soon as you start hearing that excitement a few days out from a game you realise it’s a pretty big thing.
“It is amazing to think it is a domestic competition creating so much attention on the landscape.
“It’s really captured the fans’ imagination. We’re meeting kids and giving them autographs. For some of them, the Big Bash has been around their entire lives now.”
Burns has been a mainstay of the Heat batting line-up since the inaugural BBL competition in 2011-12, playing 48 games and averaging a healthy 25 with the bat – 30 is the new 50 in T20s.
He does want to add to the 12 Test matches he’s played for his country, the last of which came in November 2016.
But, for now he says, “you’ve just got to concentrate on playing for Queensland, playing for Brisbane”.
“The game’s hard enough as it is without distracting yourself with worrying about selection... putting more extra pressure on myself.
“In saying that I think everyone’s got the desire, you still harbour ambitions.
“I have been working on my bowling for the Big Bash, we’ll see how that goes.”
PEOPLE SAY THAT’S THE GAME OF CRICKET, BUT IT STILL SUCKS. IT’S FRUSTRATING ... IT’S CERTAINLY GOING TO DRIVE US THIS YEAR. JOE BURNS
Burns is currently third on this season’s Shield runscorers’ list – and “hitting the ball really well,” he says.
“Now I’m just looking to transfer that form from the longer format to the shorter one.”
Burns admits making that adjustment had been “challenging” in the past.
“It’s one of the challenges of the modern game ... the changing of formats,” he says. “I think it’s probably something I’ve struggled with at times.
“But I’ve played country cricket a few times, and you have to chop and change formats sometimes in the same week.
“Having that kind of experience, it leaves me in a really confident spot. You know what you’ve got to do with your game. More so with your preparation.
“You don’t go out trying to hit sixes at training, being too aggressive. You just try and do the fundamentals well, keep working on the basics, which leaves you in good stead for all three formats.
“It’s the same skills, it’s just adjusting your tempo when you’re out in the middle.”
The Heat will again be led by Kiwi superstar Brendon McCullum, one of the more destructive forces in world cricket, but also one of the most experienced minds.
“He brings a level head. He doesn’t panic in any situation,” Burns says.
“He doesn’t get caught up in things that aren’t important, which is crucial in the hustle and bustle of Twenty20 cricket.
“You just focus on the simple things that you need to do; have a really simple message.
“(He is) almost care free at times – it’s a great way to play the game.
“He’s just one of those guys who plays like he’s got nothing to lose. You see that in the way he goes about it with the bat.”
As well Burns, McCullum, and another powerhouse in Chris Lynn with the bat, the Heat will have the two-pronged spin attack of Mitch Swepson and 18-year-old Pakistan leg-spinning sensation Shadab Khan among their major weapons.
The tweakers have proven to be highly effective in T20 cricket. If not always the biggest wicket-takers, their slow and measured approach can be difficult for batsmen to get away.
Seven of the top 10 most economical bowlers to have graced the BBL have been spinners.
“I think it’s a little bit easier for the spinners to control the run rate,” Burns explains.
“Obviously the spinners have to be high quality, and Brisbane does have some high quality spinners.”
The Heat won the competition in 2012-13 and are not short of motivation when it comes to trying to claim a second title.
They lost a home semi-final last season to the Sixers – in a thriller, the game going to a Super Over.
Moises Henriques was the hero for the visitors, spanking bowler Ben Cutting all over the field as the Sixers made 22 off six balls. McCullum, while brave, responded with 15.
“People say that’s the game of cricket, but it still sucks,” Burns says.
“It’s frustrating ... it’s certainly going to keep driving us this year.”
Who said the Big Bash League doesn’t mean anything?