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Gritty Rory Burns ton grinds down Australia

3rd August, 2019
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3rd August, 2019
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A dogged ton by inexperienced opener Rory Burns put England into a solid position last night on day two of the first Ashes Test.

The 28-year-old was no certainty to keep his spot for this series after having a very poor start to his Test career, averaging just 22 from seven matches.

But England kept the faith and were duly rewarded yesterday when the left-hander prodded and nudged and clipped and sliced his way to 125 not out, leading England to 4/267 at stumps.

Just like first-day centurion Steve Smith, Burns has an odd technique – a curious method that has served him nicely in county cricket.

Yesterday, for the first time, it worked at the highest level.

What stood out more than Burns’ ungainly style, though, was his temperament. By stumps, his gritty knock had all but ensured England would not concede a first-innings lead, which appears even more important than normal given the dry nature of the pitch and the increasingly variable bounce witnessed yesterday.

Australia’s attack was not at its best. But they toiled, only to be blunted by patient batting and a dearth of luck at times. Root and Burns ground away, slowly increasing their rate of scoring without taking greater risks. It was the kind of circumspect batting that often is rewarded on sleepy pitches such as this.

For the bowling side, when a deck is this unresponsive, the key is patience. If you’re creating chances and half-chances at fairly regular intervals, then stay the course. Australia did just that for pretty much the whole day, seeming to create an ‘oh nearly’ moment once every three or four overs.

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There was a Nathan Lyon LBW that should have been out, a James Pattinson ball that clunked into Joe Root’s stumps yet somehow didn’t dislodge the bail, a couple of potential run-out chances, several deliveries that narrowly missed the stumps, and a constant flow of edges through the cordon, many at catching height.

That Burns remained unflustered throughout all of this was a testament to his composure. Fortune wasn’t running Australia’s way and he wasn’t about to gift them anything.

England batsman Rory Burns

Rory Burns celebrates his maiden Test match century. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Burns was particularly impressive in his handling of Lyon. On a pitch offering enough purchase to make the off-spinner a threat, the left-hander consistently got either well forward or well back, making it harder for Lyon to settle on a length.

Then, after tea, Australia’s luck changed along with the ball. The Aussies convinced the umpires that the 60-over old Dukes ball they possessed was out of shape.

While that weathered ball barely swung all day, its replacement immediately began hooping. James Pattinson was the first to use it and sent down a succession of big out-swingers to Joe Denly. Then Denly made the mistake of playing for the swing and was trapped in front by one that seamed back.

This replacement ball continued to offer generous lateral movement both through the air and off the seam until Jos Buttler was caught in the cordon poking at a Pat Cummins delivery. Suddenly, England had lost 3/40 and Australia were on the charge.

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But this advance was halted by Burns and in-form all-rounder Ben Stokes, fresh from a starring role in England’s World Cup triumph.

Pattinson (2/54 from 17 overs) and Peter Siddle (1/43 from 21 overs) were solid, the former hunting wickets with vigour and troubling the batsmen more than any other bowler, while the latter was as frugal as always.

Cummins (1/65) and Lyon (0/79) – the two stars of the attack – have had many better days. Lyon tended to lose patience against Burns, regularly changing his line and length rather than trusting himself to stick to a plan.

Cummins, meanwhile, looked short of rhythm until later in the day when he started to look more like his old self.

On a sleepy pitch that gave the bowlers minimal assistance, the Aussie attack needed to be clinical to grind England down. But they couldn’t manage that.

They will need to today or England may well build a sizeable lead.

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