Joe Burns is looking forward to stepping out on the hallowed turf of Lord's when Middlesex face Kent in the T20 Blast tonight.
The Australian, who has been capped twice by his country, will be making his home debut for the county and is excited by the prospect of playing at the Home of Cricket.
The 25-year-old, who made his Australia debut in the Boxing Day Test against India at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, has come to appreciate Lord's and it's 200 year history more and more as his career has developed.
He said: “I'm looking forward to it. I've played at a lot of grounds around the world so it's great to finally play at Lord's and tick it off.
“It's a fantastic ground and I know it's a great atmosphere for the T20s. It's one thing I'm looking forward to. We'll be back on Sunday for a four day which is going to be an exciting experience.
“It's one I wanted to play at when I started out. It hosts big games and it's got such a rich history.
“As you get older and more invested in the game, you appreciate places like Lord's a bit more.
“For it to be your home ground, you keep coming back you can go through the museum and the changing room. The whole experience is great.”
Burns has been with the county for two weeks now, replacing Adam Voges who has gone on duty with Australia, and he is enjoying his time in London.
He added: “It's been a fantastic two weeks. Everyone involved in the club has been really welcoming and I guess that's why the team is having success. It's been going really well. Hopefully we can achieve some silverware at some stage.
“They're similar guys to myself. It's great to sit down and have a coffee and a chat about cricket. They're very open with information and it's been great.”
Burns was sold on the county by Australian team-mate Chris Rogers, who captained Middlesex last season.
He said: “I spent a bit of time with Bucky Rogers and he spoke highly of the playing group and how professional it was.
“You look at the things Middlesex do off the field, they achieve success on the field.”
Chris Rogers and Adam Voges have represented the county in the last two years and both of them have earned call-ups to the Australian Test side with the former becoming a solid opener for his country and top scored over the back-to-back Ashes series.
Burns, naturally, would love win more caps for his country but is more focused on performing for the county.
He said: “There's something in the water here in producing international players. I think it's a product of being a great club.
“Having that professional mindset off the field allows the players to get the best out of it on the field.
“It's not a major focus while I'm here. I'm here trying to win games for the club. Cricket is a hard enough game as it is without worrying about international stuff on top of it.
“It's about making sure you do the right things day in, day out and other things will take care of itself.”
The 25-year-old will hope to impress on his Lord's debut and he hopes his ability to react to different situations will stand him in good stead.
He said: “I think I'm flexible. When I started out T20 was an established game. I feel comfortable playing all three forms of the game.
“I feel I can adjust to different situations and different spots in the order.
“Hopefully I can adapt to situations as I'm trying to win games of cricket, no matter where I'm batting. I think that's a major strength of mine.”
