Burns not seeing red and BBL benefits

FOR the first time since 2013-2014, Joe Burns isn’t seeing red.

Back then, Burns was 24 and in love with playing the Big Bash League because “consistent preparation leads to consistent performance”. Then came Test cricket. “The last maybe seven years of Big Bash there’s been Test cricket or preparation – whether it be red ball or pink ball – chucked into the mix,” Burns said.

“That’s made it tough at times. I’ve found that if you play a couple of T20 games in a row consistently it does definitely become easier.

“I really enjoyed Big Bash before I played Test cricket. You could really enjoy the tournament and that was your only focus. Every training session was T20.”

Burns (pictured) missed out on the 2017-18 Ashes campaign, but has worn the baggy green in seven out of the past eight summers.

This summer he is dressed in Melbourne Stars’ green, and on Monday night Burns will bat at the Gabba against Brisbane Heat as the enemy for the first time.

“I was disappointed to miss the first four games, but I was really locked in to say, ‘Right, I’m here for the whole time’,” he said.

“I’m not coming in halfway through a Test series or I’m not getting ready for another Test match for another two or three weeks’ time. I can just invest 100 per cent of my time and my effort and my mentality into the Big Bash.”

Burns missed the first four games because of knee surgery. The right-hander was hobbled for a month and then made the call to undergo an arthroscopic clean-out.

“The last month of the state season I was really struggling with it, and then it got to a point in our last Shield game in Adelaide where I was actually getting local anaesthetic put into the knee,” Burns said.