Overlooked and overshadowed, Joeâs fire continues to 'Burn' bright
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'Even through the darkest days, this fire burns, always.' Whatâs the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear this line: a track from the 'As Daylight Dies' record of the American band Killswitch Engage or a certain tall opener from Queensland who has this phlegmatic demeanour about him?
Coming to think of it, Joe Burns might just actually fit right into a rock band, if not a metal one. Weirdly enough, he has the look of a guy whoâs the lead vocalist, but the actual recognition he gets is that of a bassist. All the bands that you listen to, do you remember the name of the lead vocalist (or) have you ever made an effort to search for it? Most probably.
And what about the bassist? Umm, nevermind. Who cares, right? But everyone knows that no matter how unimportant the bass guitar might sound, it still is paramount to the music. Neither the vocalist nor the lead guitarist can function efficiently without the bass guitarist doing what he does and sometimes, the best bassists are the ones who compliment the other powerhouses in the band; the bassist doesnât always need to be a bigwig for the music to sound good.Â
Joe Burnsâ Test career has thus far been like that of a bassist, albeit one whoâs been treated rather unfairly. In David Warner, Australia have one of the best lead guitarists in the world, but for one reason or the other, have struggled to find an able bassist to compliment him. It was against the very same opposition that theyâll be up against in Perth, back in 2015, that Australia tried Burns in that role for the first time.
And he clicked, instantly. Not only did he click on a personal level - scoring 71 and 129 in his first two gigs - but he also struck bodacious chemistry with his partner Warner and the duo, whilst on song, were an audienceâs delight.
In his 5 years of cricket, seldom has Burns played a note out of scale. Yet heâs never been the selectorsâ favourite boy. Or rather, bassist, I should say. Often, theyâve been overpowered by the thought and greed of having a bassist with as strong a disposition as the lead Warner and, in the process, have learnt it the hard way that it just doesnât work like that.
They tried Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris, but it just didnât click. One, they werenât able to stay flawless with their own strumming and two, they were all completely out of sync with Warner. So here they are, the Aussies, in the summer of 2019, once again back with their go-to simplistic perfectionist Burns on the bass to help them run the show smoothly.Â
Ideally, he should have been here for the entirety of the year, but heâs not had luck on his side either. Australiaâs rinse-repeat formula of going back to the Queenslander when every other opener fails already happened once this year, in February, when he was picked for the Sri Lanka series. That time, due to the bandâs lead guitarist and his partner-in-crime missing, the show turned out to be more or less a solo one, and Burns shone like a star, striking a wondrous 180.
Everyone was certain that Burns would be the one to show up with the guitar in his hand in the Ashes showdown in the English summer but the time-gap between the two shows - 6 months to be precise - gave room for a lot of âotherâ stuff to happen, giving enough time for the selectors to change their mind, meaning it was Bancroft who instead took his place.Â
We all know how well that went, so here we are. Four hundreds in 18 matches - that too for a 21st-century Australian opener - is no joke, yet it is not often that you come across his name in the headlines. For starters, he doesnât give you too many show-stopping, eye-catching performances, but when he does, he gets overshadowed.
Burns scored a match-winning 170 in Christchurch in 2016 in a Test between New Zealand and Australia, but you donât remember that knock, do you? All you remember from that game is Brendon McCullumâs fastest Test hundred. Earlier this year, in the last series of Australiaâs 2018/19 home summer, he also became the first centurion of the home summer, but that feat was also undermined very quickly thanks to three other Aussies scoring centuries in the same match right after he did. Â
Burnsâ Test career thus far has been a journey filled with bittersweet memories, with him, more often than not, being the easy target, the scapegoat, who the selectors have pulled their trigger on, yet they keep going back to him, âcause you know why? He has been the same batsman through and through. Nothing about him - not even his hairstyle - has changed since he started back in 2014. He still loves to cut the ball, use his feet against the spinners and of course, his bromance with Warner in the middle.Â
Is it even surprising that Warner got his mojo back the moment he started playing solos with his cherished band member? Of course not. There has been plenty that has materialized - in and around him - since he made his Test debut, but Joe has âBurnsedâ his way through this journey called international cricket, unphased by everything. In a way, the 97 he scored at the Gabba against Pakistan might just be more valuable than the other 1,127 runs heâs scored whilst wearing the Baggy Green, for it might have just bought him enough time to show the selectors his importance.Â
There have been attempts to put down the fire, but Joe has kept burning, and he will continue to do so. Donât expect him to steal the show and take the audienceâs breath away, for heâs still only a bass guitarist whose primary job is to keep the rhythm going. Right now, for Burns and most importantly for Australia, he has the pick in his hand and will ensure that his band members stay in the groove whilst also running the show smoothly. But will the selectors ever think twice before sacrificing him yet again for a more attractive prospect? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
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