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Hussey proving ideal ‘Mentor’: Burns

Mr Cricket helping mould the next generation – and lending some important lessons to the current one – with the Australia A side

If the 'Australia A' concept was designed as an environment in which the country's best domestic players can better prepare for the rigours of international cricket, Mike Hussey is proving the perfect assistant coach.

That's the word from Joe Burns, current captain of the 'A' side, who has experienced first-hand the challenges that come with making the step to the highest level.

Burns has made three hundreds in his past 10 Tests but such is the cut-throat nature of professional sport, he's presently on the outer of the national side after losing his opener's spot following four low scores in the Test series in Sri Lanka.

Now the 27-year-old is working with Hussey, arguably Australia's most accomplished batsman across all three formats and a man well-seasoned in handling the pressures and pitfalls of international cricket. 

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"It's a great learning environment with Mike Hussey as (assistant) coach," Burns told cricket.com.au. "Having 'Huss' there, I look at him as a mentor. I haven't actually said that to him but I feel like we're quite similar in how we go about the game.

"(As a group) we've talked a lot in-depth about the challenges of going from domestic cricket to international cricket.

"We've got a lot of young up-and-coming batters who haven't played much international cricket, so we've been having some open discussions about the challenges, how to overcome them, some lessons that 'Huss' has picked up along the way, and a lot of information sharing amongst the group about what they want to do, where they want to improve.

"It's fantastic when a group of guys who have always played against each other come together in the same change room and share experiences, and Huss has really led that."

Throughout his two-week stint, Hussey has been convening the batting group for regular coffee catch-ups, during which they sit and talk cricket with Mr Cricket.

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The West Australian, who played the last of his 79 Tests at the beginning of 2013, spent a decade in first-class cricket before becoming an 'overnight' success at international level.

Despite an imposing record and a glittering career, Hussey was no stranger to the criticism and form lapses that befall every top-level cricketer at one time or another.

And it's that facet of the game that Hussey has been focusing on with his charges.

"It's a pretty big jump (from domestic to international cricket)," Hussey told cricket.com.au. "Not so much the cricket side of things – the skills, the cricket ability and the talent these guys have, I believe will be good enough to succeed at the highest level.

"But it's how you deal with all the external distractions; the extra pressure of a Test match, more attention on all the players, the commentators picking their way through your technique, the media writing more stories about you.

"There's a lot of distractions for the players to deal with, and the guys who are mentally strong enough to be able to put all that aside have the best chance of going on."

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Burns is quick to point out his own international experience is relatively limited when compared with Hussey, but the Queenslander can nonetheless lean on events of the past two years – in which he's been selected and dropped twice from the Test side, as well as playing six ODIs – to provide his teammates with some valuable insights.

"I just try and be as open as possible," said Burns. "I feel like, while my international experience isn't huge, I've got a lot of lessons and things I can pass on to those guys about coming into international cricket – what I found difficult and how I coped with different things.

"And having 'Huss' there, he's been fantastic for me and that allows me to pass on as much information to the other guys as I can, and for me to learn off the other guys and their experiences as well."