Joe Burns is being cooked.
Even more brutal than the comment from Australian test legend Allan Border was the sight of selection chairman Trevor Hohns on the phone immediately after Burns melted away for just one run against India in the SCG’s tour match.
He played for his career.
His recent failure at the crease has put Australian selectors in a monster selection crisis while Will Pucovski and David Warner were banned from the first test in Adelaide as of Thursday.
Burns was trapped by a shipment of Mohammed Shami, Absolutely Plum, and fell on one of 21 shipments at the fold.
His last nine top notch results tell the story of a player who simply cannot be selected to open the eyelash for Australia: 7, 29, 0, 10, 11, 4, 0, 0, 1.
The disaster was compounded by the earlier release of Marcus Harris for just five.
Burns on Friday night could only create a duck with a second ball against the Indian attack in Sydney.
Burns had been the last man to stand out of the openers, but the sight of him walking back to the pavilion on Sunday showed that mentally he is nowhere near ready for the fight.
Too many demons swim in his head. Too much thinking, overthinking and panic.
Australian legend Border said Burns must be overlooked for the first test.
“It hits halfway up the middle stump and he tried to flick it on the side of the leg,” Border told Fox Cricket.
“It’s a ball that should be hit on the ground. Here is Joe Burns with his technique.
“He’s just been shot. It’s a sad sight to see a guy really struggling to find some shape. “
The sight of Burns walking back through the members of Hohns into the locker room while on the phone was intensified.
It’s pure speculation, but Australian cricketers reached out on social media on Sunday to suggest it’s the phone call that put an end to Burns’ Test hopes. At the age of 31 there is only one streak of light at the end of the tunnel.
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