The Aussie connection at Glamorgan will be further strengthened on Friday night when Test batsman Joe Burns makes his debut at home against Somerset. Alun Rhys Chivers meets the man Glamorgan hope can guide them to another Finals Day later this summer.
Joe Burns was getting ready for the Australian cricket summer with Queensland when he got the call from his manager to fly to Wales to deputise for injured compatriot Shaun Marsh in Glamorgan’s 11 remaining matches of their Vitality T20 Blast campaign.
The right-handed middle-order international batsman looks set to make his debut when Somerset arrive in Sophia Gardens on Friday night, having had just a few days to prepare.
An opening batsman in red-ball cricket, Burns tends to bat in the middle-order in limited overs cricket, and will link up with the likes of Colin Ingram and fellow Queenslander Usman Khawaja.
“Having Ussie here as well is a bit of an Australian connection,” says Burns.
“Also, having some Aussie guys in the team makes it very easy and a very easy decision to get over and get into it.
“It certainly makes it a lot easier having a familiar face, and I guess also from a cricket perspective, it’s someone to talk to about the conditions and adjustments to our games.
“He knows my game really well from all the cricket we’ve played back home, so it’s utilising his eyes as well to adjust your game and have success at the different venues we play at.”
Having last visited Cardiff with Middlesex in 2015 and previously with Leicestershire in 2013, Burns knows what to expect on his return to the Welsh capital.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming to Cardiff – great people, a great sense of humour which I really enjoy. I’m excited by the opportunity to play for Glamorgan.
“Every time I’ve played against them in the past, I’ve been impressed by the culture they seem to have amongst the group. They’re really easy going and I think it’s a good recipe for success in the Twenty20 game.
“I’ve been sprayed plenty of times by the crowd so I’m looking forward to them supporting me this time. It’s always a great atmosphere. It’s a big game, the weather has been fantastic.
“Against Somerset as well, it should be a really entertaining night. I’ll have to go through their players a bit closer before the game but I know they’re a very strong team, a very entertaining team as well in the way they play their cricket, so I think they’re two teams that match up really well against each other and I’m sure the crowd is going to be really entertained.”
Having won two out of three matches so far – against Hampshire and Essex – Burns is keen to hit the ground running to help Glamorgan to push for Vitality Blast success.
“There’s plenty of time left in the competition to hit your straps and go from there. The team has obviously got a bit of momentum going now so my role is just to slide in and hopefully carry that on.”