Always wiser to focus on things that can be controlled, says Joe Burns
Australia’s Joe Burns believes that over time, a professional cricketer learns how to focus completely on the things that are within one’s control. After being overlooked for the Ashes, Burns is focused on making a stronger impression with some big performances in the Sheffield Shield tournament.
It would be a hard pill for anyone to swallow when a batsman with four Test centuries in 16 Tests and an average of 40.10 is left out of the Australian Test team under current circumstances. However, it would take something more to faze Burns, who has also scored more Sheffield Shield runs than any other player since 2010.
"I think you learn over your professional career that there are things that you can't control and the sooner you focus on the things you can control and give them 100% effort then the better you're going to be," Burns told ESPNCricinfo.
"You see a lot of young guys coming out and saying as soon as they started worrying about the selection the game became tougher. Darren Lehmann said to me in my first year, 'it's a bloody hard game already so don't make it harder than it needs to be'. It's kind of rung true for me for how I view the game week to week,” he added.
Although he scored 180 in his last Test appearance, the 30-year-old will need to prove his worth once again during the first four rounds of the domestic tournament. However, for Burns, it is all about the preparation to fine-tune his skills that matter the most.
"I'm not one to go into a season looking at trying to score a certain amount of runs. For me, it's all about my preparation. I just know if I'm the most prepared as possible, that will give me the best chance to equate it to runs. There are no guarantees in this game. But if I'm prepared from week to week, I feel like the most important part of the week is the days leading into games, trying to fine-tune the skills I want to use going into the games,” Burns said.
After a strong start in the first three games in the Marsh Cup — where Burns struck back-to-back unbeaten half-centuries — Queensland will open their Shield campaign against New South Wales on Thursday at the Gabba.
"Obviously this week against New South Wales is going to be a challenge. If we play to our potential we're probably going to be right in every game we play. It probably comes down to guys just taking responsibility. If you have the chance to go and win the game, go and do it. We [only had one century] in the Shield last year which was disappointing,” Burns concluded.
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