"Cricket had been so much a part of Dad's life that I think he would have wanted me to go." He started the tour with a 105 against Canterbury and later made 81 not out against Auckland, but did not otherwise pass 50. New Zealand had Test status at the time, but the Australian Board of Control refused to ratify the matches between the two nations as such. Burge had little impact in three international matches, scoring 115 runs at 28.75 as Australia took the series 1–0. He ended the New Zealand tour with 310 runs at 38.75. At this stage of his career, Burge was scoring consistently enough to command a regular Test place. On the 1957–58 tour of South Africa, he made 111 not out against a South African XI in a warm-up for the Tests, and then made 80 in the next match against Border. He was selected in the First Test in Johannesburg. After scoring a duck and 14 in a drawn match, it was Burge who was dropped when vice-captain Neil Harvey returned from injury as Australia took the five-Test series 3–0. Burge scored only one further fifty in the tour matches and ended with 441 runs at 49.00. At the start of the 1958–59 season, Burge made 74, 94 and 64 in his first three innings. Although he made only 25, 7 and 11 in the last three innings before the Tests, all against Peter May's touring Englishmen, national captain Ian Craig was ruled out due to hepatitis. This gave Burge a recall for the First Test against England in his home town of Brisbane. He made two in his only innings and was dropped again after Australia took an eight-wicket win. Returning to Queensland duties, he initially failed to capitalise on his starts, with four scores between 30 and 60 in five innings, before striking 101 and 171 against South Australia and Victoria respectively. However, this was not enough for him to gain a recall for the later Tests of the season. Burge ended with season with 764 runs at 50.93. Afterwards, his accountancy firm declined to grant him further leave for cricket, but Burge backed his ability and quit his job, accepting the invitation to tour India and Pakistan in 1959–60. Test opener Jim Burke had retired after the England series, opening another batting position. He was in and out of the