By his own admission, the reaction from most Australians when his name was added to the national Twenty20 squad was universal – Joe Who?
And Queensland batsman Joe Burns reckons the public may still be none the wiser when Australia take on the West Indies in their one-off T20 international at the Gabba on Wednesday night.
Australian cricket’s rising star is no guarantee of playing after Adam Voges (hamstring) was given until the last minute to prove his fitness.
Burns is technically on standby for Voges – but he looked more like a man on tenterhooks on Tuesday after the carrot of an international debut had been dangled in front of him.
Not even being asked to front the pre-match press conference alongside national captain George Bailey helped convince him he was close to an international debut.
Burns admitted he had not even asked fellow Queenslander Ben Cutting for advice while in the national squad because he did not want to set himself up for disappointment.
“I haven’t spoken too much to Cutsy because at this stage Vogesy is still playing,” Burns said.
“It is a bit hard to look too far.”
However, Burns’ stats show he is no average Joe.
Burns, 23, claimed the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award at last week’s Allan Border Medal ceremony after amassing 1,038 runs at 35.09 in all forms throughout the voting period.
And he is considered an outside chance of an Ashes call-up after earning selection for Australia A’s upcoming five-match series against the English Lions.
But asked on Tuesday whether he thought punters would have said ‘Joe Who?’ when named by national selectors for Brisbane’s T20 game, Burns said: “Yeah. But I am very excited if I do get the chance to play in front of friends and family.
“It is one of the best places to make your debut.”
He may not taste international cricket on Wednesday night.
But Burns was confident that he could handle it after pulling off a form reversal for Brisbane Heat following the disappointment of being named 12th man in a January 12 Big Bash League clash.
Burns fought his way back into the Heat T20 side and helped them win a maiden title with a 27-ball 43 in the final against Perth Scorchers.
“Unfortunately I was 12th man (for the Heat) but in the back end of the season we had some big games and I was happy with how I performed, considering they were essentially knockout fixtures for us,” Burns said.
“That sort of pressure will be similar to maybe what it is like tomorrow night.
“I guess the fact I was able to perform in those games will give me confidence going in.”
Meanwhile, Bailey (hamstring) also gave himself until game day to prove his fitness but was expecting to play.
