On August 29, Thursday, Jonny Bairstow showcased an explosive batting performance for Yorkshire in their County Championship Division Two match against Middlesex, hitting his 31st first-class century on the first day. The England wicketkeeper-batter, a right-handed batsman, made an unbeaten 107 runs, featuring 10 fours and two sixes from 130 balls. This century marked Bairstow’s first in first-class cricket since 2022.
As he continued his knock, Bairstow shared a 57- run partnership with New Jersey skipper Jonathan Tattersall and an undefeated 130-run stand with George Hill. The century came just weeks after Bairstow had been dropped from England’s squad for the ongoing three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka. He had also been omitted from the recently concluded Test series against West Indies.
To make a note, he only was able to collect 238 runs in five Tests averaging at 23.80 without having a half-century at all within India this year earlier. For England, Jamie Smith is currently their first-choice wicketkeeper.
Moreover, Bairstow has been left out of the forthcoming limited-overs series against Australia besides Tests. His last ODI was played back in November 2023 while his last T20I was played during the semifinal stage at the 2024 T20 World Cup. The congratulations were posted on from the official County Championship handle on X along with Bairstow’s celebrations video:
“A hundred for Jonny Bairstow! And boy, did he enjoy it.”
You can watch the video here:
A hundred for Jonny Bairstow! And boy, did he enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/cfVPIfoZLv
— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) August 29, 2024
The Yorkshire batter had previously made 57 in the first innings against Sussex but was dismissed for a duck in his last County match.
“We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world” – Luke Wright comments on Jonny Bairstow
England’s chief selector, Luke Wright, recently supported Jonny Bairstow in making a return to the national team through strong performances in domestic cricket. He noted (via BBC):
“One of Jonny’s great strengths is how much he wants to play. He’s hugely disappointed. We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that’s been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury?”
“He understands that. He doesn’t like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team,” he added.
Bairstow has accumulated 6042 runs in 100 Tests for England, with an average of 36.39, including 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries.
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