No Ashes regrets as Burns relishes homecoming

Joe Burns is facing up to Nathan Lyon on a practice wicket on Ray Lindwall Oval. Three days out from the first Domain Test against Pakistan in Brisbane, the Australians are batting in pairs, sweating their way through a long, high-intensity session. Burns looks up to see Steve Smith at the non-striker's end, impatiently waiting his turn to face the spin of Lyon.

The two batsmen move to the centre wicket of Allan Border Oval, where Josh Hazlewood promptly strikes Burns a glancing blow on the helmet. He is assessed by support staff, re-attaches his stem guard, and retakes his guard.

Later, he teams up with David Warner, and the openers wipe the dust off a partnership long dormant. Against a procession of spin, they work on their communication as they scamper between the wickets. Finally, Burns removes his helmet and walks away from the practice session, into the pool for recovery.

Six months ago, when he flew home from England and took some time away from cricket to deal with a fatigue disorder, this was a world Burns thought he might never inhabit again.

"It crosses your mind, no doubt," Burns tells cricket.com.au. "When there's uncertainty around your health, you usually pre-empt the worst.

"Sitting here now, having had that break, I feel a million bucks compared to last season. I'm just looking forward now to showing everyone what I can do. I feel so much more ready to play."

Burns made the decision to withdraw from his County Championship stint with Lancashire with a view to giving himself the best possible chance of recovery ahead of the Ashes. The right-hander had made a career-best 180 in Australia's most recent Test, but ultimately his limited preparation and Warner's return from suspension meant he was squeezed out.

For the Queenslander, however, there are no regrets about how that period played out.

"Looking back, I think it was 100 per cent the right decision," he says of his six weeks away from the game.

"I was disappointed to miss out on the Ashes, of course, but the silver lining to not getting selected was I actually had more time to get ready for this summer.

"I probably feel better now than what I would've had I played in the Ashes."

Better still because Thursday's series opener is at the Gabba, where the local boy has made seven of his 17 first-class hundreds, including his maiden in Tests four years ago.

It’s where he feels comfortable; he has an intimate understanding of the bounce and pace, and he knows when to play straight and with soft hands, and from which balls he can look to score. From there, he says, it comes down to concentration, which paves the way for good decision-making.

The Marsh Sheffield Shield fixture has also fallen in his favour; all three of the Bulls' matches this summer have been played at home. In those games, Burns made a pair of fifties and spent meaningful time at the crease in all five innings.

"The first month of the season, we had some testing wickets and some really good bowling attacks, and I felt like from week to week my game was just getting better," he says.

"The Gabba is no doubt a challenge for an opening batter … but I guess it is easier to go into the game with high confidence. I've played for 10 years now and have had to make a career out of playing there.

"So it's very easy to stay in that same mindset going into a Test match on your home ground."

Burns is also taking confidence from his century against Sri Lanka in February, the fourth hundred of his 16-Test career but his first under the Justin Langer-Tim Paine regime.

It was an important innings for the now 30-year-old, who remains caught in a battle for the right to partner Warner even as head coach Langer looks to establish and maintain a reliable top three.

"I know Davey likes batting with him," Langer said of Burns on Tuesday.

"And I obviously have some understanding of how important it is for the openers to get on really well, and work well together and understand each other.

"So we're looking at that combination, and it's no secret – I've said one of the things we need to do is get our top three cemented and get that as strong as possible because it's a pivotal part of winning games of cricket.

"So I'm hopeful 'the odd couple' (Burns and Warner) will get out there and, like we've seen in the past, form a really good opening partnership."

Domain Test Series v Pakistan

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

First Test: November 21-25, Gabba (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)