Burns faces test to hold opening spot

Test opener Joe Burns has been overlooked for the Australia A tour of India in September in a significant blow to his hopes of taking on Pakistan later this year.

The Queenslander was parachuted in to open the batting in Australia's most recent Test, the turbulent match in Johannesburg that immediately followed South African ball-tampering scandal.

He scored 4 and 42 as Australia were thrashed by a record 492 runs, but he's the only member of the top six from that match not named in the A squad apart from veteran Shaun Marsh, who is arguably Australia's best player of spin and seemingly safe for the Pakistan series.

Matthew Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Mitchell Marsh - who all played at The Wanderers - will travel to India for a tour that includes two four-day matches, but Burns has been left out in favour of uncapped left-handers Travis Head and Kurtis Patterson.

Allrounder Glenn Maxwell has also been overlooked but, like Marsh, his experience in the subcontinent has convinced selectors to give other untested batsmen a chance ahead of the two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE.

The decision to overlook Maxwell also gives him a much-needed break from the game given he's played almost non-stop since the Test tour of Bangladesh last August, which was followed by a tour of India, the home summer of domestic and international cricket, a brief stint in South Africa and the recently-completed Indian Premier League. He left for the UK on Monday for a limited overs tour, which will be followed by a T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in early July.

Marsh, who averages 42 from seven Tests in Asia, will miss the A tour and instead continue his stint with UK county side Glamorgan, giving him important experience in English conditions ahead of next year's Ashes tour.

New coach Justin Langer said earlier this month that the A tour will be an important selection trial for a Test batting line-up looking to cover the losses of Warner, Bancroft and Steve Smith.

And the absence of Burns, who averaged 55 as Queensland won the JLT Sheffield Shield title last summer, indicates he's got plenty to do to force his way into Langer's side.

The right-hander hasn't been ruled in or out for the Pakistan series, but his non-selection for the A tour is a blow for a batsman selectors said would have been considered for the initial squad that toured South Africa before an ill-timed groin injury scuppered that plan.

Despite returning to the Test XI at The Wanderers, he was not offered a CA contract last month.

The 28-year-old has three hundreds from 14 Tests, but scored just 34 runs from four innings in Sri Lanka in 2016 - his only Test campaign in Asia - and was dropped ahead of the third Test.

The A tour looms as a great chance for Khawaja, who averages 14 in Tests in Asia, to prove himself in spinning conditions ahead of the Pakistan series. He could even be given the chance to open in India given Renshaw is the only recognised opener in the four-day squad.

Two weeks ago, Langer flagged that the squad for the A tour would be stronger than normal as selectors look to re-build the Test side.

"I imagine we might leave our selection for Pakistan (in) the UAE quite late, use that build-up and use that match practice (in India)," he told SEN.

"I'd suggest it might be a pretty strong Australia A team going to India."

Australia A will play a one-day tri-series against India A and South Africa A from August 17-29 before the first of two four-day games against India A begins in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam on September 2.