Johnson, Burns earn dream debuts for NSW

Victoria v New South Wales will be streamed live and free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Erin Burns and Sammy-Jo Johnson took the long path to a New South Wales debut, but the pair have finally been crowned with the iconic blue caps they coveted as children.

The allrounders have been named in the NSW Breakers' XI to meet Victoria at Junction Oval, the first of two star-studded 50-over showdowns between the teams this week.

Burns, born in Wollongong, and Johnson, from Lismore, rose through the NSW underage pathways but encountered the same problem when the time came to graduate to senior cricket: there was just no cracking a NSW line-up that was not too dissimilar to the Australia XI.

Both hit the road and sought their fortunes with adopted states, before fate brought both back to the Breakers, and fittingly, to a debut on the same day.

For 32-year-old Burns, who signed with the Breakers ahead of the 2019-20 summer but did not play a game due to a combination of injury and international commitments, it was a moment she had started to think may never arrive – particularly after COVID-19 delayed the start of this season three times.

"I'm really not counting my chickens," a laughing Burns told The Scoop podcast when asked how she felt about making that long-awaited debut.

"I have these ideas that I'll be walking across the street and I'll do my ankle.

"But hopefully it'll come to fruition that I'll finally make my debut.

"I'm rooming with Sammy-Jo here in Melbourne and we're both champing at the bit.

"We're both super pumped."

The spin-bowling allrounder made the move to Tasmania when the team was introduced to the WNCL in 2009, with the Tigers looking for additional talent to top up their squad.

In 2016-17 she travelled north to the ACT Meteors – a switch that coincided with a shift from the Hurricanes to the Sixers in the Rebel WBBL, before completing the circle when she earned her first senior contract with the NSW Breakers.

It was a shift made to realign her life, having continued to first study, and then work as a physio in Sydney throughout her playing days with Tasmania and ACT – a situation that became untenable with the increasing professionalism of the women's game, and less than ideal, with her wife also based in Sydney.

For pace-bowling allrounder Johnson, the path back to the Breakers took her via a decade of playing for Queensland.

It was in maroon, then the teal of the Brisbane Heat, that Johnson forged a reputation as one of the most damaging players on the domestic circuit.

Leaving the Fire had not been part of the plan, but when Johnson's partner Brian received a job offer in Sydney too good to pass up in early 2020, she decided to sound out the Breakers to see if they might be in the market for an experienced quick.

For the 28-year-old who grew up wishing she could bowl like Brett Lee, that twist of fate delivered a childhood dream.

"It feels like it's been a long time coming," Johnson told cricket.com.au ahead of the match.

"Once we have the toss and I know I'm in the XI and I get to pull on that shirt, it'll be pretty special.

"There's going to be some mixed emotions. I played 10 years for Queensland and I'll miss putting on the maroon jersey but it's been a childhood dream to play for New South Wales, it was what I grew up wanting to do.

"(Debuting with Burns), it's the two golden oldies, the two players who started careers in New South Wales, both ended up in different states and in a funny, roundabout way and hopefully end up playing for our home states aged what, 28 and 32.

"It's something we wanted to do as kids … it's an exciting time for both of us."

Johnson is looking forward to leading a new-look pace attack featuring some of the country's most exciting young talent including Hannah Darlington, Lauren Cheatle and Stella Campbell.

"It's coming out nicely, hopefully I can take a few wickets with the new ball and we've got a deep batting order so hopefully the girls up the top get the job done but if I get a chance to come in and whack a few, that's the plan," she said.

"(The younger quicks) make me feel very old. It's a pretty good fast bowling cartel.

"Working with those young girls, it's really god to see the depth at NSW and the talent they've got coming through."