Rory Burns and Steve Smith prove what makes you different is what makes you special

NICK HOWSON AT OLD TRAFFORD: Idiosyncrasies within sport are too often seen as a negative but it is key to remember that the destination is more important than the journey

The more time you spend listening to old-school custodians of cricket, it is increasingly easy to form a view that the sport can only be played a particular way. Head over the ball. A straight bat. Hit the top of off stump. Three fielders on the legside. Fingers down.

Such conventions have little relevance to a sport, which thanks to globalisation and to a degree its various formats, has changed unimaginably over the last quarter-of-a-century. Some of its most prestigious commentators are dated and disconnected from reality.

Players have found new ways of answering cricket's various conundrums with unique aplomb, leaving even the most educated redundant.

Few players in the modern game have techniques more distinctive than Rory Burns and Steve Smith. The Surrey man has a remarkable gait. He must be a nightmare on holiday, always on the move, unable to relax.

Jonathan Trott could take tips on digging a trench at the crease. The ultimate puzzle-solver Smith, meanwhile, has twinkle toes to rival Gene Kelly, moving as if operating on a conveyor belt. His technique in leaving the ball is equally as dazzling.

Neither of their approaches can be found in a coaching manual or on the curriculum of an academy. Proprietors of the game might wince and gawp but who cares: they get the job done.

It feels as though wider civilisation is finally catching up with the acceptance of such characters. Increasingly, we are breaking free of categories dictated purely by our creed and colour. Being what humanity has for so long considered as different is no longer taboo. Society is embracing individualism like never before.

It might appear extraordinarily unnecessary to draw a link between sport and wider society in an effort to understand certain trends. But even something as simple as a batting technique could provide inspiration to those struggling to comprehend themselves.

^{Rory Burns has had to work long and hard for his chance in England colours}

Burns and Smith are not what convention says is pretty or typical. But they are undeniably successful. What makes them different is what makes them special.

Such eccentricity used to be mocked and in a bygone era would surely not have survived. Nowadays it is cherished. Perhaps even celebrated. For every Geoffrey Boycott and Rahul Dravid there is a Sheldon Cottrell and Rashid Khan. Even Pavel Florin.

Society is becoming more liberal to independence. We are breaking free of custom and propriety. People struggling to make sense of their existence, whether it be sexuality, gender, race or religion, are being permitted space to unravel the conundrum of life. Questions finally have answers.

Perhaps you really have to want to see it, but there is some encouragement to be taken from Burns and Smith, particularly if you are among those finding you don't exist within one of society's pigeonholes. Cynics will see a bat, ball, stumps and some white coats but it goes much deeper than that.

If only one viewer of the Old Trafford Test sees themselves in the Burns twitch or Smith's shuffle then surely it will all be worth it. Such a platform for idiosyncrasies should be saluted. We should all get used to it.