He might have a shaky technique. He might be eyeing mid-on when the bowler is close to delivering the ball. He might have averaged only 22 in Test cricket heading into his maiden Ashes series. But Rory Burns achieved something that several prestigious England openers haven't been able to in the first Test of the Ashes series at Edgbaston.
In his maiden Ashes innings, Burns appeared vulnerable early on but soon settled down into his groove to put on a show. The left-hander from Surrey struck a patient 133, consuming 312 balls and fighting off some excellent bowling from Australia.
This was his maiden Test ton and at 99, it appeared as if Burns was extremely nervous at the upcoming landmark. He ate up 10 balls before knocking off his maiden Test ton and first Ashes century.
“You’re only ever half an hour from kicking yourself back into rhythm,” Burns had said before the Test match. With a Test average hovering just about 20, that seemed an overconfident statement until Burns walked at Edgbaston to prove his detractors wrong.
In his marathon innings which contributed to 35% of all runs England made in the innings, Burns made the first hundred by an England opener other than Alastair Cook at home since 2015.
Burns also made a remarkable achievement when he scored a home Ashes ton in his debut Ashes innings. Some of England's greatest ever Test openers like Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Alec Stewart and Marcus Trescothick don't have an Ashes century at home while opening the innings.
Cook is England's highest run scorer as an opener with 11845 runs. Atherton is the fourth highest run scorer with 7476 runs while Stewart and Trescothick have 3348 and 5824 runs respectively as openers. But none of them have managed an Ashes ton at home when facing the new ball.
In one outstanding innings, Burns has eclipsed these exceptional cricketers. His knock at Edgbaston will go down in history books as one amomg the better knocks by an England opener in a home Ashes Test in the 21st century.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lindsey Parnaby
