Burns pushes Baggy Green claims

Test hopeful Joe Burns wasted no time in pressing his credentials for a recall to the national side for this summer's Domain Test series against India, crashing an unbeaten 80 on the final day of Queensland's JLT Sheffield Shield clash against the Warriors in Brisbane.

Burns, who was parachuted into the Test side in South Africa following the ball-tampering scandal, only to then find himself dropped for the recent Pakistan series, looked in sublime touch as he cruised to a second half-century in as many Shield outings.

The right-hander's 80 came from just 85 deliveries before the match was called off early, with neither side believing a win was possible.

The impressive innings followed on from a first-innings 49, as well as scores of 64 and seven in the previous Shield match against South Australia.

Burns has also been in splendid touch for his Premier Cricket side Norths in Brisbane, registering scores of 216, 65 and 106 in three trips to the crease.

"I was happy to spend some time in the middle and make some runs," he said. "I feel like I'm hitting the ball well – I've been fortunate enough to make a double hundred and a hundred in club cricket, so I've spent some quality time in the middle, so it feels really natural when I'm out there.

"It's just a matter of switching on and probably making sure I'm mentally fresh and I'm engaged in the game when I get out there, and just batting long periods of time."

Burns has 14 Tests to his name and boasts three hundreds, and the 29-year-old looks likely to be a strong contender for a top-order position come the first Test of the summer against India from December 6.

The right-hander was deemed particularly unlucky to have missed selection for the 1-0 series defeat in the UAE, and big runs in the next few Shield matches will invariably push his claims for a recall further.

"I'm pretty old now – I've seen it all before, so I know to just take it game by game," he said. "It sounds cliché but every game we play at domestic level is a chance to push your name for Aussie selection.

"You have to be playing good cricket week-in, week-out – that's the challenge.

"You want to go in (to Test cricket) with a world-class mindset and game that'll stand up to the rigours of international cricket.

"It's an opportunity to refine your game in domestic cricket, so if an opportunity pops up, you're ready to go.

"And that's all I've been trying to do – just trying to improve myself week-in, week-out and go from there."

State teammates Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne – both players who Burns is vying with for a Baggy Green – both missed opportunities at Allan Border Field today, scoring 21 and 10 respectively in the second innings.

It was a double failure for Labuschagne, who scored 11 in the first innings, while Renshaw made an impressive 215-ball 89 on day one of the match.