Ian Bell believes Rory Burns can follow in Jonathan Trott's footsteps for England

Tom Biggs 17:17 04/11/2018
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  • Ian Bell believes Rory Burns can benefit from his sheer weight of runs at county level in just the same way as former Test star Jonathan Trott did for England.

    The uncapped Burns has consistently shown his quality on the county stage, having passed 1,000 first-class runs for the fifth season running, and will now get his chance internationally after being named as a top-order option for England’s Test tour in Sri Lanka.

    Back in 2009, Bell’s former Warwickshire team-mate Trott earned his first Test international call-up having scored 8,121 first-class runs at an average of 44. Trott went on to compile nine centuries for England in a hugely successful six-year period.

    And Bell, who was speaking at the DHL Swing Against Cancer Golf Series in Dubai, says that Burns’ similarly superb record at county level with Surrey can help immediately put him on the map for England.

    Ian Bell was talking at the DHL Swing Against Cancer Golf Series

    Ian Bell was talking at the DHL Swing Against Cancer Golf Series

    “When you get picked into a Test match series and you’ve got five good county years behind you like Burns has, that’s going to help him a hell of a lot,” Bell told Sport360.

    “He’s probably gone under the radar in English cricket for a while. I’m really happy that he’s got this opportunity.

    “I think Trott was probably the last batsman who got picked off the back of county runs galore.

    “I believe Burns has scored 1,000 runs five years on the bounce. I’m not saying we’ve picked guys just off glimpses of good stuff, but when you’ve got that kind of volume of runs consistently, I think that does help you.

    “It’s a level up, but I think the fact you’ve been in form for so long, you know your game well and you bat for long periods of time, that’s exactly what we want.

    “Fingers crossed he goes well and we can start building a brand new opening partnership.”

    The Test series in Sri Lanka will be the first without record run-scorer Alastair Cook in 12 years. It will be extremely unfamiliar territory for England, but Bell says honing a new partnership – with either Keaton Jennings or the uncapped Joe Denly in the frame to partner Burns – will be of vital importance for the future.

    “It’ll be very strange to look and see a team without Cook. It’s going to be huge for England,” explained the 36-year-old, who has won 118 Test caps with England.

    “Since Andrew Strauss finished, I don’t think Cook had an opening partner that lasted particularly long.

    “Now we’re not just looking for one, we’re looking for two, so this partnership is going to be crucial, not just for this Tour, but we’ve got an Ashes coming up in the summer.

    “Your opening partnership is so important. To know you’ve got two guys going out there to scrap away and fight to get through the new ball is vital to any side.”

    For more information about the DHL Swing Against Cancer Golf Series head to swingagainstcancer.com.

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