His county summer started with elevation to the captaincy at Surrey, but the accolades could get greater before too long for batsman Rory Burns.
With question marks over England’s top order in particular after disastrous winter tours of Australia and New Zealand – two series’ defeats without a single Test victory in seven – there has never been a greater time for English County Championship players to stake a claim for national recognition.
New national selector Ed Smith has a job on his hands. If he wants to make an immediate stamp of his authority, he could be looking to shake things up with the first squad he picks. And the most obvious place is to mix up England’s misfiring top five.
In the build-up to England’s first Test of the summer, against Pakistan at Lord’s on 24 May, The Sportsman is profiling the players who could catch the eye of selectors and force their way into the reckoning for a place in the first XI. My first pick, Jake Ball, continued his fine early-season form by claiming three crucial last-day wickets as Nottinghamshire beat Hampshire to retain first place in County Championship Division One.
Having started with a bowling option, I’ve turned my attention to who could step in and deliver some much-needed runs and optimism in the batting line-up. Captain Joe Root is arguably the only one of the top five guaranteed his place – in spite of his golden duck for Yorkshire on a worrying first outing of the season at the weekend.
There is enough credit in the bank for former captain Alastair Cook too, despite a miserable tour of New Zealand that yielded just 23 runs. He is chasing Allan Border’s record of 153 successive Test appearances and Smith would need a black heart to deny him from the two more outings that would see the opener overtake former Australian great.
Of the other three spots ahead of certain starters, the all-rounders Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan is the most secure in terms of the form he has shown for England so far – he was one of few to emerge from the Ashes with credit intact – and he demonstrated why, with a fine 119 for Middlesex over the weekend.
But two places are surely up for grabs. Neither opener Mark Stoneman or James Vince, who batted number three last time out, have convinced despite plenty of opportunities. They seem to lack the required character to become mainstays of an England Test side. And their start to the County Championship season has hardly been encouraging either, so surely Smith should be looking elsewhere?
In Burns, he has an opener who could slot in alongside Cook. The left-hander has been consistently good for his county – passing 1,000 runs in each of his previous four seasons – but has always been on the periphery when it comes to the England selection discussion. That must surely be changing now.
Surrey – the richest of the English counties – have trusted him with the captaincy, and believe in him to lead what is a multi-national, multi-talented outfit full of international pedigree. And he is leading from the front in more ways than one.
In tricky conditions for batsmen at this early stage in the summer – bowlers are having field days across the country – Burns averages an impressive 57. His ‘daddy hundred’ last time out in the draw with Worcestershire vastly improved that average, but he has had starts in each of his innings beforehand in troublesome conditions. As the sun finally showed itself, Burns splayed Worcestershire for a thrilling 193.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Burns is built in the mould of a traditional red-ball batsman. His greatest assets are his patience and composure. That proves the solid foundations for him to improve his technique. With the likes of Vince, a more natural shot-maker, the opposite is perhaps true, which explains why he has been found wanting at the highest level.
Burns excels through the covers and moves his feet well. When the ball is swinging and whistling through at pace, this means he is very adept at hanging in at the top of the order – something England are crying out for.
At 27-years-old, it’s becoming now or never territory for Burns and his England ambitions. He’ll be hoping Smith, Root and coach Trevor Bayliss do the right thing and take County Championship form into the account when it comes to naming that first side of the summer, for the test of Pakistan.
