The Rise of Jonathan Marc “Jonny” Bairstow
As it is said by the Cricket Pundits and Purists that Test Cricket is the ultimate because it tests your patience, temperament, character, mental strength, physical fitness and all the attributes of the game to the core, and if a Cricketer comes out with flying colours after passing all the challenges of Test Cricket, then he/she considered as the bona fide great of the game. Although Bairstow is no where near the word ‘Great’ at the moment but he certainly has proved his worth in the longest and most testing format of Cricket with his consistent batting as well as with his gloves work and that is what must have propelled the English selector’s to pick him up in the ODI squad for the 5 match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
After a good county season Bairstow was picked for the England tour of South Africa earlier this year, He was excellent throughout the tour, he has played innings like 41,79,150*,30*,45 and kept very well behind the wicket, from there he started to look confident.
Although Bairstow couldn’t find a place for himself in England’s limited over squad (ODIs & T20s) but he was ready to prove his mettle once again as the English summer started with a 3 match Test series against the Sri Lankans. In the very first Test at Headingley, Bairstow batted outstandingly under pressure while the whole English batting line up including the big guns (Joe Root and Alastair Cook) were struggling to cop up against the disciplined Lankan attack, he was the lone warrior and single handedly led the charge for England by forming partnerships with the tail-enders as he scored his second century (140) in Test Cricket and took 9 catches behind the wicket, later on Sri Lanka could not resist the Anderson-Broad burst.
In the second Test at Chester Le-Street he played a sensible knock of 48 runs, his partnership of 70 runs with Moeen Ali for the 6th wicket in the first innings played a crucial part in the final outcome of the match. He also took 7 catches behind the wicket, his 19 catches is a record for an English wicket keeper in a 3 match Test series.
In the third Test at Lord’s again his unbeaten 167 was the key in determining the outcome of the match, though he was given a few chances that is part and parcel of the game. During his second 150+ score in Test Cricket Bairstow played some gorgeous strokes throughout the inning. His well constructed 167 off 251 balls was consist of 18 boundaries. In a rain curtailed match England perhaps declared too late to win the match. In last 11 innings in Test Cricket Bairstow has scored 746 runs with only 1 Duck and 3 not out innings. He was very rightly adjudged Man of The Series for his two well composed centuries in the series and also for his credentials behind the wicket though he did spill a few catches.
The coach Trevor Bayliss has a different thought about him, maybe he can picked as a specialist batsman in the squad for the upcoming Pakistan Test series. Wicket keeping responsibility can be shared with Ben Foakes, the young Surrey wicketkeeper, as one man under consideration. Trevor said, “Bairstow was hitting the ball very well and I haven’t seen any other English player to do so.”