Joe’s woes: Burns blows final Test audition

Joe Burns’ Test career is hanging by a thread after yet another failure on Sunday completed the worst-possible Adelaide Test audition.

Australia A's Joe Burns departs lbw to India's Mohammed Shami during the tour match at the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Test selectors will give serious consideration to promoting Marnus Labuschagne to opener after Joe Burns made himself virtually unselectable with his latest failure, at the SCG.

Burns’ Test career is hanging by a thread following a ninth score of under 30 for the summer, with former captain Allan Border saying the out-of-sorts opener cannot be picked to play in Adelaide this week. It could result in selectors making a radical shake-up of the batting order, with regular No. 3 Labuschagne pushed to open alongside Marcus Harris, who also fell cheaply on Sunday.

Such a move would disrupt the continuity of the Australian line-up, resulting in the rest of the order moving up one spot – with Steve Smith slotting in at first drop.

It would be conditional on Cameron Green being passed fit to play after the youngster sustained a nasty blow to the head while bowling on Friday. However it would prevent Australia starting a Test summer with two desperately out-of-form openers, and would appear to be the simplest way to blood the outstanding Green.

The plan is certain to be discussed by coach Justin Langer, chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns and fellow selector George Bailey this week.

Hohns was at the SCG on Sunday to see the twin failures of Burns and Harris – and was captured by TV cameras making a phone call as Burns made his exit from the field.

“He’s a man under a bit of pressure, Trevor,” said Border.

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“We’ve got to come up with a couple of opening batsmen for a very important Test series against a good cricket team who have got all the running at the moment.

“A couple of tough decisions they’ve got. I don’t fancy being in that chair.”

Despite being an incumbent, with four Test centuries to his name and an average a tick under 40, Burns is making one of those tough questions considerably easier.

On form, he simply cannot be picked.

From nine first-class innings this summer, he has just 62 runs.

In two matches against the Indians, he has two ducks and a paltry five runs.

He seems little more than a walking wicket at this stage – and was in two minds on Sunday as he played across the line to a straight delivery to be trapped lbw by Mohammed Shami for just 1.

“He’s just shot,” lamented former Test captain Allan Border on Fox Cricket.

“It’s a sad sight seeing a bloke really struggling to just find any sort of form.

“My gut feel (on picking Burns) is just no.

“He has been given these little windows of opportunity because of injury, concussion, circumstances with other guys, without nailing down a spot.

“If he had just shown something, even if he had 20-odd today and batted OK and got a good ball to get out – you might think, ‘OK, we’ll stick with the incumbent’.”

Sunday had been billed as Burns’ last-chance saloon and he knew it, according to former Test opener Chris Rogers.

“(On Sunday) there is some pressure on him, no doubt. He’s not stupid,” Rogers said ahead of the final day of the tour match. “So he has to make the most of this opportunity, that’s pretty important, and then it’s up to the selectors.”

The scenario was little better for Marcus Harris, who looks set to Steven Bradbury his way into a Test recall, despite unremarkable numbers in both tour matches against India.

Harris notched a fourth low score against India when he was first to depart for just 5 – falling for a legside trap set by the tourists.

“That’s a big psychological blow going into the first Test. Another failure for Marcus Harris,” said Kerry O’Keeffe on Fox Cricket. “If you look at his innings, it’s an area he peppers …. Sheffield Shield teams don’t put a leg slip in.

“But India are going to.”

After the twin failures of the openers, Australia A were rescued from another collapse by a 117-run fourth-wicket stand between Ben McDermott and captain Alex Carey (58).

McDermott (107 not out) and Queenslander Jack Wildermuth (109 not out) then hit impressive centuries to thwart the Indian attack, before the captains shook hands on a draw.

The Daily Telegraph