Joe Burns

The story of Joe Burns in international cricket has been a roller coaster. Despite performing admirably in the limited opportunities he has got for Australia, Joe Burns has been left out of the team time and again. Despite scoring four centuries in his brief Test career, Burns has never really managed to cement his spot in the Test side. 

A free-flowing stroke maker at the top of the order, Burns plays the ball very late and has the ability to grind for long knocks. The stylish opener first rose into prominence with a sensational 140 on his Sheffield Shield debut. He also became the 3rd highest scorer for Tasmania on debut. Following some consistent returns in the domestic circuit and failure of other Australian openers, Burns eventually made his Test debut as a No 6 batsman against India in Melbourne as a replacement for Michael Clarke. 

Despite scoring a couple of half-centuries in just his 2nd game, Burns was dropped from the following tours of West Indies and England. He was again called back as an opening partner for David Warner for the home summer in 2015-16. He smashed three centuries in eight Tests but failed in the tour of Sri Lanka and was shown the exit door. 

He again made a return when Australia found themselves in a conundrum after the sandpaper gate scandal. He was brought in with very limited preparation time. He was the top scorer for Australia in Johannesburg but was subsequently dropped from the next tour of UAE against Pakistan and missed out on the 2018-19 home season. 

He was in touching distance of an Ashes berth but fatigue halted his chances of taking part in the Ashes. Burns again went into the wilderness but came back after a string of poor performances from the other Australian openers and was part of their 2019-20 home summer. He has also been selected to play for Australia in the upcoming test series against Australia.