Australia’s desire for a stable Test team has gifted opening batsman Joe Burns a reprieve.
Queenslander Burns, despite being horribly short of runs, will be among Australia’s team to host India in the day-night first Test starting Thursday at Adelaide Oval.
Selectors are understood to have plumped for Burns to open with Matthew Wade in a makeshift partnership caused by David Warner’s groin injury.
Burns enters the day-night fixture with just 62 runs from nine first-class innings this season.
But with Warner out, selectors were unwilling to dump Burns who has received public backing from captain Tim Paine.
“His build-up in terms of runs hasn’t been great,” Paine said on Wednesday.
“But if you look at the work he’s done solely in Test cricket for this team (it) has been very, very good. He averages just over 40 in Test cricket.
“Stability in good cricket teams, in good sports teams, is really important. “That is something we’ve tried to build over the last two years, is try and have that stability around selection.
“There’s going to be noise around the first Test and what team we’re picking but internally we’ve been pretty clear for a while.”
West Australian 21-year-old Cameron Green will make his Test debut, batting at No.6 and giving Paine another bowling option.
Green had been limited to bowling four-over spells while recovering from a back injury but those restrictions will be lifted for the Test.
“Once you’re selected in a Test match, you’re good to go,” Paine said.
“Having said that, we don’t expect him to bowl a huge amount of overs anyway with the attack we have got.
“We see him as just a nice change up.
“He takes 12-14 overs an innings out of our key fast bowlers, which is great in terms of being able to keep them fresh in a pink-ball Test for the night session and … being able to keep them fresh for the whole series.”
The first Test, starts at 3pm today and Channel 7 is the designated Cricket free to air broadcaster this summer. The opening game will be played before an Adelaide Oval crowd limited to about 21,000 fans because of coronavirus protocols.
