Dream week concludes in Barbados for Burns

Allrounder Erin Burns made a second international debut in the space of a week when she featured for Australia in the opening T20 of the three-game series against the West Indies on Saturday.

New South Wales allrounder Burns was presented with T20 cap No.52 by Sydney Sixers teammate Alyssa Healy ahead of play in Barbados and played a role in helping Australia to a six-wicket triumph.

Meg Lanning's unbeaten half-century meant Burns didn't get the chance to shine with the bat, but the 31-year-old produced a brilliant piece of fielding to dismiss Stacy-Ann King with a direct hit run out.

Burns is on her first Australian tour after more than a decade of plying her trade around the country at state level and was a late call-up to the Australian XI for the second ODI against the West Indies in Antigua last Sunday.

A New South Wales native, the spin-bowling allrounder was unable to break into a strong Breakers line-up so made the move to Tasmania when the team was introduced to the Women’s National Cricket League in 2009.

In 2016-17 she made the move to the ACT Meteors – a switch that coincided with a shift from the Hurricanes to the Sixers in the Rebel WBBL – while earlier this year she completed the circle, earning her first senior contract with the NSW Breakers.

Saturday’s match was the latest step for Australia as they ramp up their preparations for the 2020 T20 World Cup on home soil next February and March, with this series against the fourth-ranked West Indies crucial to their preparation and planning.

"It’s going to be on us before we know it," Australia allrounder Jess Jonassen said of the 2020 event on match eve. 

"Every game leading into that is going to be vital. 

"I’m sure anyone who gets an opportunity, not only in this series but the Sri Lanka series coming up (at home) as well will do the job really well.

"We’ve played a lot of cricket recently, the 50-over games were a bit of a slog out there at times so to come to T20 format off the back of some good performances in (the ODIs), everyone is looking forward to getting out there among the hustle and bustle of T20 cricket."

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

West Indies ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Hayley Matthews (vc), Reniece Boyce, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

First ODI: Australia won by 178 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by 151 runs

Third ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Twenty20 Internationals

First T20: Australia won by six wickets

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados