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Burns enters Gabba folklore with ton

7th November, 2015
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It will go down as one of the great Gabba Test moments. What a shame its owner – Joe Burns – can’t remember it.

The budding Australian opener admits he can’t recall much of his maiden Test ton (129) against New Zealand in Brisbane on Saturday.

Pity. It was a beauty.

Burns will go down in folklore after stroking two sixes in three balls off hapless off-spinner Mark Craig to jump from 88 into triple figures.

He became just the eighth Australian to hit a six to reach his maiden century.

Rain looked set to beat Burns to the achievement, with dark clouds hovering over the ground and the Queenslander still needing 12 more runs late on day three.

And the Brisbane crowd were looking skyward again as Burns teed off, celebrating his hundred before the heavens truly opened, enforcing a brief rain break.

Yet Burns seemed oblivious to his heroics after stumps with Australia holding a 503 overall lead.

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“It’s pure elation. I’m not really sure what I did or what I was thinking,” he said.

“I guess the rain delay gave me a chance just to sit back straight after and reflect on it and think of all the people that helped me get to this day.”

“I am thankful that plenty of them were in the crowd today.”

Burns initially outgunned master blaster David Warner, reaching three figures well before his opening partner in 102 balls, thrashing 12 fours and three sixes.

Yet not everything went to script.

“The plan was to hit six singles (on 94) but I just kind of blacked out a bit and swung as hard as I could and luckily got it over the rope,” Burns said of his mighty milestone blow.

Warner added: “I walked down to him and said be a bit selfish and try to get six singles.

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“Two balls later he came down the wicket and hit it over his head for six.

“He (Burns) said to me ‘I don’t know what I was thinking’.

“I said ‘you obviously did know because you hit it for six’.”

Burns may have found a remedy for the nervous 90s but has provided something much more valuable to Australia’s selectors – a worthy replacement for retired opener Chris Rogers.

In Burns’ last two Tests he has now amassed 129, 71, 66 and 58.

Yet for some reason he is appearing in his first Test since January, a home series against India, where he notched back-to-back 50s.

Burns looks forward to more adventures with Warner who thrashed 116 on Saturday, marking the third time he had compiled back to back tons in a Test.

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“When you’re doing well it’s easy to sit here and say that we’re operating really well but there’s certainly going to be challenges coming every week,” Burns said.

“As long as we keep preparing well and working off each other, hopefully we can have plenty more days like this.”

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