Burns has secret weapon to survive Test trial by spin

Opener to turn to friend Sangakkara for inside knowledge in Sri Lanka, he tells Nick Hoult

Rory Burns has an invaluable Sri Lankan resource to call upon as he waits to make his Test debut in Galle. Playing for Surrey affords a county cricketer certain luxuries. One is playing alongside some of the biggest names in world cricket, such as Kumar Sangakkara, who scored more than 6,000 Test runs in Sri Lanka, and South Africa’s Dean Elgar, an opener with recent experience of being spun inside out on a Sri Lankan “Bunsen” of a pitch.

“It is being branded as a trial by spin going to Sri Lanka and, having spoken to Dean Elgar after he popped off mid-season to tour Sri Lanka with South Africa, he said he opened the batting and did not face a ball of seam,” Burns says. “He said you have to really earn the right to face a seamer, so it is pretty obvious the game plan will be focused on spin and getting it right.

“I’ve not been to Sri Lanka before. I’ve been to the United Arab Emirates, which is similar but not the same, so I will probably give Kumar a call to get his thoughts on what to do. He is a hugely valuable source for me.

“A bit of inside knowledge is invaluable and to have the support of one of the modern greats of the game has been incredible. He is just a good friend and it is nice to have the backing of someone like that.”

At 28, Burns has had to wait a long time for his chance. Five consecutive seasons of scoring in excess of 1,000 runs in the County