‘Sparked a fire in me’: Ex-Aussie star’s 138-day journey from delivery room to Big Bash – fox sports

Four months after giving birth to daughter Nina, all-rounder Erin Burns has been included in the Sydney Sixers squad for their Women’s Big Bash League season opener against the Perth Scorchers.
The 37-year-old, who missed the start of last summer’s WBBL campaign due to a heel injury, welcomed her second child in June, four years after wife Erin carried their son Jack.
Under Cricket Australia’s Parental Leave Policy, players can take up to 12 months of paid leave following a birth — with an option to return earlier pending medical clearance — but Burns made her comeback during last month’s T20 Spring Challenge, playing two matches for the Sixers at North Sydney Oval.
And the former Australian representative could make her Big Bash return this weekend, included in the Sixers squad for Sunday’s contest at the WACA.
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“It’s fantastic. I’ve had such an amazing experience,” Burns said of her comeback journey.
“We knew that we wanted to expand our family and it just seemed like the right moment.
“I’ve had incredible support from Cricket NSW, in everything from when I was pregnant all the way through to the birth, and now the return to play.
“I feel very fortunate that I’m in a position in my career where I can utilise these amazing support networks and be able to get back on the park as quickly as I have.”

Sixers general manager Rachel Haynes reached out to Burns ahead of the season to work through a timeline for her return, with the right-hander initially expressing some uncertainty.
But after a few weeks of training during the pre-season, Burns felt she was ready to dive back into T20 cricket.
“I’ve been getting back into the sport and into training and things, and I’ve responded pretty well,” she explained.
“I was not putting too much pressure on myself to return too early … but to be able to come back to this level of playing so quickly, I think I feel pretty fortunate that I’m in a position to be able to do that.
“I didn’t put too much pressure on myself, it’s just how the cards fell.”
She added: “I always get a bit of FOMO sitting on the sidelines.”
During the recent T20 Spring Challenge, when she posted scored of 15 and 0 against the Thunder and Renegades respectively, Burns’ teammates were staggered to see her on the park 123 days after giving birth. They didn’t previously see that as an possibility.
“We heard some of the girls during the series were saying, ‘Oh my God, how incredible that we can play cricket after we have kids,’” Burns recalled.
“I feel pretty chuffed about it.”
During the return to play process, Burns sought advice from former New Zealand captain and Hobart Hurricanes teammate Amy Satterthwaite, as well as retired Tasmania representative Corinne Hall, who both played professional cricket after having a baby.
“(Satterthwaite) came back from her first pregnancy about eight months post-partum,” Burn explained.
“I was talking to her a little bit about the ins and outs and logistics around travelling with little babies and the like.
“She was a good help.”
Burns, who played five T20s and an ODI for Australia in 2019, is the Sixers’ fourth-leading run-scorer in WBBL history with 1446 runs at 21.58, including seven fifties. She has also taken 32 wickets at 20.15 for the ladies in magenta.
Regarded as one of the competition’s best fielders, Burns has often produced exceptional catches in the outfield.

Asked if she was ready for the challenges of Big Bash cricket, Burns emphasised that she didn’t want to be picked purely as a novelty, a feel-good story — she wanted to help the Sixers win matches and qualify for the finals.
The Sixers are the competition’s perennial underperformers — despite a stacked roster, headlined by the likes of Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner, they have only progressed to the knockouts once in the last six years.
It’s a record Burns and her teammates are eager to rectify.
“I feel like I’ve got as much hunger now as I ever have,” Burns said.
“Physically, I’m feeling pretty good.
“There’s never any guarantees, but if I get the nod, then I’ll certainly feel pretty stoked.”
She continued: “I just want to do my best for the team to be able to put us in a position to be able to do well this season. I don’t think that’s any different from anyone else.
”When I got asked by Rachael (Haynes) about the potential of returning this season, I think it really sparked a fire in me.
“This season, what I want to get out of it essentially is just to be able to put my best foot forward for the team. I certainly don’t want to be just something that’s there as a bit of a novelty.
“I want to be able to contribute. And that’s what I plan on doing this season.”
The Sixers get their WBBL season underway on Sunday, facing the Scorchers at the WACA on Sunday at 8.30pm AEDT. All-rounder Gardner has been unveiled as the Sixers’ new captain, while wicketkeeper Healy will miss the season opener due to a hand injury.

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