"He'll have to sit down himself and say, 'What do I need to improve?'" - Alastair Cook believes Rory Burns needs to reflect on his technique
Former England captain Alastair Cook has dissected Rory Burns' recent lean patch with an emphasis on the player's unorthodox technique. The 31-year-old has started the Ashes on a poor note with only 17 runs across three innings.
The left-handed batter was bowled off the very first delivery of the campaign by Mitchell Starc at the Gabba. His misery continued in Adelaide after getting caught in the second slip for just 4 runs.
Cook outlined that Burns' technique has given him plenty of runs in county cricket, but stated that he has to revisit his current technique to cement his spot in the playing XI. While speaking to BT Sport, Cook said:
"He's almost at that point now where if he wants to take that next step on in international cricket, does he have to evolve again?"
Mitch Starc is TOO GOOD with the pink ball! #Ashes https://t.co/hMXMMI6j0y
Cook added:
"He's been very consistent with this technique at county cricket. This is what he's going to stick to. You're always told in international cricket, 'Do what you do in county cricket, don't change how you play.' It is probably getting to the stage now where he'll have to sit down himself and say, 'What do I need to improve?'"
Burns endured a highly inconsistent home series against India as well. England are facing a severe lack of depth in their batting with the likes of Dom Sibley, Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence not being consistent enough at the international level.
It is in Rory Burns' hands: Alastair Cook
Burns currently holds an average of 31.36 after playing 31 Test matches. While he gets into a normal position by the time the ball is released, his trigger movement has been deemed highly unorthodox.
Cook feels that the player can still succeed with the current approach, but wants more consistency at the start of the innings. The former captain added:
"This does work for Rory Burns on occasions. But to be more consistent early on in his innings, I think he needs to think about how he gets that bat coming down."
Cook added:
"It is in Rory Burns' hands still. He has one more opportunity (in the second innings) to put what we're talking about to bed. Can he put that there and perform? If he scores a hundred he then gets to play some more games because he's earned the right."
Michael Neser currently has a higher Test batting average than Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler.
#Ashes
England are pretty short of options when it comes to opening batsmen in their squad. Jonny Bairstow, Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley are the only remaining options unless England devise an unconventional approach to deal with this situation.