Rory Burns warned he needs to change his technique as Ashes woes continue

England opener Rory Burns has struggled in the Ashes so far, scoring just 17 runs in three innings

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Former England opener Sir Alastair Cook has told Rory Burns that he should consider making changes to his technique, with the Surrey skipper currently struggling in the Ashes.

Burns’ unorthodox technique is a result of him being left-eye dominant and sees him stand with his chin touching his shoulder, before looking towards mid-on as the bowler is running in.

The 31-year-old has had a measure of success in Test cricket, making three hundreds, and he is England’s second leading run scorer this year behind Joe Root.

However, he has also recorded a whopping six ducks in 10 innings this year, a record high for a batter.

Against Australia, Burns has struggled in his three innings so far, getting out for 0 and 13 in the first Test at the Gabba and then getting nicked off for four in the first innings in Adelaide.

Cook, who is one of the greatest openers in the history of Test cricket, believes Burns needs to make some changes in order to remain in the England side.

“You’re always told in international cricket ‘do what you do in county cricket, you don’t change how you play, you’d be mad to change it straightaway’,” Cook said on BT Sport.

“It’s probably getting to a stage now where he’ll have to sit down and go ‘this is what I’ve got with my technique, if I want to play even longer for England and play 60, 70, 80 Test matches for England, what do I need to improve?’

“This does work for Rory Burns on occasion but to be more consistent early on in his innings, I think he needs to really think about how he gets that bat playing coming down straighter.

“It’s in Rory Burns’ hands, still. He’s definitely going to bat again unless something else extraordinary happens in this Test match.

“If he scores a hundred in the second innings he then gets to play some more games.”

Mitchell Starc has already dismissed Burns twice in this series and Cook believes the left-arm quick will continue to have success against Burns unless he makes some changes.

“The perfect Mitchell Starc angle, to hit that ball perfectly with it coming away and his bat coming across, your timing has to be absolutely spot on,” Cook added.

“If it’s not spot on, the face of your bat is slightly closed as you come to hit it. It’s a technique he now has to decide what he’s going to do because Mitchell Starc for the next five Test matches if he stays fit, it’s almost the perfect combination against him.

“The problem is tinkering with your technique in the middle of a massive series, you’re then batting in a game maybe thinking about technique is not what you want to be doing.

“The only thing you want to be doing is committing or watching the ball as it’s coming down. You’ve got to keep your mind as clear as you can.”