Jonny Bairstow, the England wicket-keeper batter, is set to show up for Yorkshire in the next series of County Championship matches as red-ball domestic cricket makes its return after a six-week break. After playing his 100th Test during a tour of Indian territory, Bairstow lost his position within England’s red-ball setup as Jamie Smith was viewed as the new long-term wicket-keeper by the management.
He was absent from England’s home season after he had poor performances during the tour of India and the Ashes where Bairstow made three fifties in 19 innings with four occasions he could not even reach double figures. Even his white ball credentials have been eroding of late forcing him to slide down the pecking order.
Bairstow’s exploits on middle-order spots within T20I setups have been hit-and-miss experiments while Welsh Fire’s 2024 campaign was terrible, especially after making only one fifty in seven matches played therein. Bairstow, who has been off-form for some time and needs to reboot his career like never before, is going to play for Yorkshire in the forthcoming Division Two match against Sussex that could last until the end of this season.
“I spoke to Jonny, and he still has ambitions of getting back into the England team. When he was coming back from his injury last year, our medical team and coaches – everybody associated with the club – helped him get back into the England fold,” Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson said.
“If it’s that we need to do that again with him, give him some love and get him into a position where he puts good performances in, everybody benefits from that. Jonny Bairstow is a serious cricketer anyway, but when he has a point to prove, he’s even more dangerous. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that,” he added.
The Yorkshireman is now fit for selection after being out with a shoulder injury. He will be taking part in their next game starting on Thursday August 22nd. However, it’s uncertain whether he will be available for the last four matches of the season.
“All I want is to represent England”- Jonny Bairstow
The wicket-keeper struggles to get back his luck across formats now. While others like Phil Salt and Will Jacks are blooming in white-ball cricket, Bairstow must step up his game to apprehend them. In the red-ball formats, Harry Brook has taken position five and Jamie Smith has begun his Test life as if in a dream country.
“Well, you don’t need to ask me that, do you? I think you know me well enough, and you’ve known me for long enough to know that all I want to do is play for England,” Bairstow told Vaughan on the sidelines of The Hundred 2024.
That is why the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key indicated that Bairstow must strive to be himself as he was some years ago for him to earn a second chance.
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