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Rory Burns ready to turn a corner as England take a settled approach

Getty Images for ECB
Getty Images for ECB

In 2011, England completed a rare Ashes win Down Under and went to No1 in the ICC’s Test rankings.

It is hardly a coincidence that no player made his Test debut that year. Indeed, there were 19 matches between cap 650, Ajmal Shahzad in June 2010, and 651, Samit Patel in March 2012. That was the second longest run by any Test team ever without a new player. Squad announcements were seldom terribly exciting — you knew who was in the team. England’s strength was built on stability and experience.

Recently, things have been different. In July 2014, Jos Buttler became Test player 665. Since, England have handed out 30 more debuts. In that time, they have played 76 matches, so a new player comes along every 2.5 games. In every year between 2016 and 2019, England handed out at least six Test caps — that is 1990s regularity. Making navy blue caps would be a lucrative side hustle for the business-savvy cricket fan.

The 30 are a ragtag bunch of cricketers from more than a dozen counties. Some are still around, and as many as seven could play in the Second Test against Pakistan on Thursday.

Some were unlucky, some afforded too much patience. There are those we can be certain will never play again, such as Alex Hales, whose red-ball retirement is way down the list of reasons he will not be selected, and Zafar Ansari, who is deep into retirement. Then there are the likes of Haseeb Hameed, about whom we can but hope. He is heading in the right direction up the road less travelled.

There is, though, one unifying factor between those 30 players: none has played 20 Tests. The average number of games across the group is less than nine. In 2018, England used 24 Test players, in 2011 the figure was 15. In summary, the Test team has become a place newbies do not stick around long.

The team in the time since Buttler made his debut — when the debris of the 2013/14 Ashes whitewash was being picked through — has fallen into three distinct categories: record-breaking all-time greats; hugely talented players whose white-ball brilliance was more sustained than their Test success; and the 30 passers-by from One-Day or county cricket. Results have reflected the team’s talent and transience: they won 37 and lost 30 of the 76 games; they never lost a series at home but rarely won overseas (in South Africa twice and Sri Lanka).

On Thursday, the trend will be halted as Rory Burns plays his 20th Test. What is the significance of that? Well, nothing terribly concrete. It is hardly one of a numbers-obsessed sport’s great milestones, but sticking around that long suggests a level of comfort and normally leads to more.

Excluding Buttler and Chris Woakes, whose careers are clearly ongoing, of the 25 debutants to reach 20 caps this century, only five have not made it to 50: Ryan Sidebottom (22), Geraint Jones (34), Tim Bresnan (23), Steven Finn (36) and Gary Ballance (23).

Is a corner being turned by England in their search for a more settled side? This is the age of Test cricket’s squad, so the XI is rarely unchanged, and a battery of players (particularly bowlers) is required for success to be sustained. Injury permitting, all of Mark Wood (16 Tests), Sam Curran (18), Ollie Pope (11), Jofra Archer and Dom Sibley (both 10) should join Burns before long. Dom Bess and Zak Crawley are further back, but could make it too.

On the debutants front, they have not had one since Crawley eight matches ago. If Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, the only likely debutant, with Dan Lawrence ruled out for family reasons, does not play on Thursday, England will equal their third-longest run of games without a debutant. Robinson, 26, and Lawrence, 23, are the two uncapped players who look deserving of a chance.

As for Burns, it is time to graduate to the next chapter of his career. He is a senior batsman who turns 30 in a fortnight. This summer, he is averaging 35, but has often looked good then got out, sometimes in peculiar fashion.

He looks comfortable at Test level and has scoring options. It is time for him to greedily kick on. He is at the vanguard of a group of players who can end England’s selection merry-go-round.

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