Dad didn’t believe I was selected: Burns

Young batsman Joe Burns’ selection in the Australian cricket team for the third Test against India was so unexpected that his own father had refused to believe the news.

The 25-year-old, who was named a shock replacement for injured all-rounder Mitchell Marsh on Sunday, spoke of his father’s surprise and his own joy at getting a national call-up.

“My dad didn’t believe me, so that’s a little bit disappointing. I am a massive Australian cricket fan who just happens to play cricket himself. I am a cricket nuffy. I follow the game closely and I love it. That makes Boxing Day even more special, knowing how big this day is in the Australian sport calendar. As an Australian cricket fan, the Boxing Day Test is always something that comes to your mind, the day after Christmas when you sit on the back deck watching the cricket,” Burns was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph’.

Burns has been rewarded for a brilliant run in the Sheffield Shield this year, scoring 439 runs at an average of 55. He has scored 2978 runs at an average of 42.54 at the first-class level. The youngster, who is also pursuing a degree in Economics, said he is looking forward to train under national coach Darren Lehmann.

“I am looking forward to having Boof (Lehmann) as Australian coach as I really enjoyed playing underneath him. It is going to be with great pride that I can say he is my Australian coach,” Burns said.

Asked if he would feel any pressure in his debut Test, which starts on Friday, Burns said, “I think I will just enjoy the experience and enjoy the moment.”