Burns: Test call-up felt surreal

Surrey skipper Rory Burns says that being named in the England squad for the forthcoming Test series against Sri Lanka feels surreal.

The 28-year-old left-hander has scored over 1,000 first-class runs in each of the last five seasons, but his performances in 2018 in particular have been second-to-none.

Leading Division One in runs scored, Burns currently has 1,319 at an average of 69.42. On his debut call-up, Burns said: “It feels really surreal. I’m just really delighted, in all honesty.”

The opener, who captained the England Lions earlier this year, explained that he was told the news last week, during Surrey’s trip to Taunton.

“Ed Smith just gave me a quick ring,” said Burns. “It actually cut out halfway through.

He was telling me the good news, and my phone cut out so I ran down quickly to try and find a spot with some signal.

“There’s been a bit of a hearsay about it for a little while, and a lot of questions about it, so it’s obviously nice to get that phone call and put an end to that questioning and stop worrying about that and just get on with my business.

“I’ve never been to Sri Lanka before, so that’ll be something new. I’m just really looking forward to it, and looking forward to getting going.”

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Curran brothers sit out finale

Tom and Sam Curran are sitting out Surrey’s final game of the season at the request of the England management, as the pair will be flying out this weekend to take part in the white ball international series against Sri Lanka.

The combination of a side strain and a stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) meant that Tom made only four appearances in Surrey’s triumphant County Championship campaign, taking 19 wickets at just 16.42 runs apiece.

But now the performances of younger brother Sam during the recent Test series between India and England is attracting interest from T20 franchises the world over – specifically from teams in the IPL. Curran, just 20, hugely impressed in the Tests with his all-round abilities.

Quality all-rounders are at a premium among IPL sides, and Curran junior is sure to be snapped up.