|| CF Correspondent || 

Australia opener Joe Burns sees a silver lining in cricket’s long offseason due to the coronavirus shut down after having been struck down by a fatigue illness last year.

Burns and his teammates have plenty of time to kill before returning to the field as all cricketing events have been postponed and Australia has been largely locked down to sustain the coronavirus from spreading.

For the opener, home quarantine has not been bad at all as it has offered him a chance to recharge his batteries.

“Definitely this enforced layoff for everyone provides the opportunity just to really get yourself right, reset and start preparing physically for next summer,” Burns told reporters in a video conference on Thursday.

“It’s probably the longest offseason any of us would have had for a long time.

“From a physical perspective, it gives the opportunity for us to be in a really strong position. I think that’s the silver lining,” He added.

Before the bizarre impact of the coronavirus, modern cricketers had never been so busy, with players opting to fill the shrinking spaces in the international calendar with stints in domestic tournaments.

While playing in England last year, Burns abruptly left his county side Lancashire after playing one match to return to home and recuperate from a chronic fatigue condition that doctors traced to an infection the previous year.

 “There are times during the year where you do get a little bit worn out, a little bit tired and you do want some time at home,” said the 30-year-old, who was awarded one of 20 national contracts handed out by Cricket Australia last week.