Buttler to take over gloves from Bairstow
LONDON: Jonny Bairstow will hand England’s wicketkeeping gloves to Jos Buttler next week — but the more difficult conversation may be trying to convince him to do so permanently.
Bairstow was named in a 14man England squad to face India in the fourth test at the Ageas Bowl, despite the Yorkshireman having a broken finger.
It is understood that injury will prevent Bairstow from keeping wicket, even if he is passed fit to bat as England seeks to bounce back from its Trent Bridge trouncing in a series it leads 21 with two to play.
Buttler took over from Bairstow by necessity midmatch in Nottingham, and England’s whiteball wicketkeeper will stay behind the stumps in Southampton.
And coach Trevor Bayliss acknowledges the man in possession always has it in his own hands to make sure he stays put.
‘‘If that gives someone else another opportunity . . . it’s like any injury, if someone comes in and does well, then you have a decision to make,’’ Bayliss said.
The Australian could then face a test of his manmanagement skills.
‘‘That’ll be the hard thing, trying to convince Jonny,’’ Bayliss added.
‘‘If that was the way we went, it would certainly be a deep conversation with someone like that. Jonny’s a reasonable bloke.’’
England has no qualms about deploying Bairstow as a specialist batsman — as he is in whiteball cricket.
‘‘He is a worldclass batter, we know that,’’ Bayliss said.
England has other pressing issues, not least the flaky toporder batting which has meant it has fallen to 100 for four or worse in half of its past 62 test innings.
After it lost all 10 firstinnings wickets in one session in Nottingham last weekend, Bayliss and captain Joe Root decided it was again time for some straighttalking.
‘‘We had a chat on Sunday night, and that was what the discussion was around — how it happens, why it happens and what to do about it and not letting it happen again,’’ the coach said.
‘‘It is not the first time it has happened — and we speak about it every time. — BPA