BAIRSTOW AXED
He’s fighting for Test future after New Zealand tour snub
JONNY BAIRSTOW will have crunch talks about his future with national selector Ed Smith after being dramatically dropped from England’s Test tour of New Zealand.
Smith and fellow selector James Taylor will go to Leeds tomorrow to meet Bairstow after England decided to not just take the wicketkeeping gloves from him, but to discard him as a batsman for the two Tests in November.
Bairstow retains his place for the five Twenty20 internationals that precede the Tests, but only because Jos Buttler, who will replace him as Test keeper, is rested. And Bairstow must compete for the T20 gloves with the recalled Sam Billings.
‘This is an opportunity for Jonny to re- set and work on a few things,’ said Smith, who broke the news to Bairstow (right) yesterday by phone. ‘I’m choosing my words carefully. He hasn’t been rested. That would be a cop-out. But I will go up and see him and tell him he has a fantastic future in Test cricket. I do believe he is a top-quality batsman and I predict he will come back stronger.’
England named four uncapped players in their 15-man squad — openers Dom Sibley of Warwickshire and Zak Crawley of Kent, plus Lancashire bowling duo Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson.
It is a measure of how badly Jonny Bairstow took his shock omission from England’s test squad to tour New Zealand that Ed smith feels the need to travel to Leeds tomorrow to explain the reasons in person.
And the pain Bairstow clearly feels will only be exacerbated by smith’s veiled suggestions at Lord’s yesterday that his test future lies without the wicketkeeping gloves he so cherishes.
there have been suggestions all summer that England had started to believe they were overly indulging the wishes of a gifted but complex character who has been a man apart during a season of spectacular World Cup success and Ashes parity.
smith will point to Bairstow’s average of just 18 in the seven tests since he reclaimed the gloves from Ben Foakes, who had thrived as a keeper and batsman in sri Lanka last winter. And perhaps England were conscious of the possibility that Bairstow may have travelled around New Zealand like a bear with a sore head if he had been picked as a specialist batsman rather than in the all-round role he believes brings the best from him.
‘since returning to the gloves, Jonny’s had a more difficult spell with the bat,’ said smith at Lord’s yesterday. ‘ the most important thing to focus on there is that he was first picked for England as an outstanding batsman.’
Asked if that meant the future of Bairstow, who was awarded a test central contract four days ago, lies without the gloves, smith would only say: ‘i wouldn’t specify that but i do believe Jonny has the potential to be a top test player again.’
Foakes is desperately unlucky not to travel now despite a modest season with surrey, but has been placed on stand-by as Jos Buttler is now the only keeper in the squad. Ollie Pope, who looks certain to start the test series in the middle order, is the emergency keeper in the 15-man party.
Clearly the picture was complicated for a selection panel by Joe Root’s desire to return to No 4 following a difficult Ashes series in the No 3 position he had resisted for so long.
that necessitated a ‘ more specialist’ top three with no place for Bairstow and the promotion of two uncapped openers — Warwickshire’s Dom sibley, whose weight of First Division runs demanded his call-up, and Kent’s Zak Crawley.
sibley, who has made 1,324 Championship runs this season, looks sure to play in the first test at Mount Maunganui on November 21 alongside Rory Burns, with Joe Denly moving to three.
‘this is the start of a new cycle,’ said smith. ‘We’ve watched sibley very closely. We wanted to pick him and he’s justified that.
‘He has the ability to bat for long periods and he’s produced a lot in terms of runs. He has the right temperament and attitude.
‘Zak is a very determined young man who has impressed people inside the teams he’s played for and also opponents.
‘We believe he will be a good player in the future.’
the other batting loser is Jason Roy, discarded after just four tests in trying circumstances this summer with only one of them being in the middle-order position that suits him. ‘ the door is not closed on Jason,’ insisted smith.
there are two newcomers among the bowlers with the Lancashire pair of saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson joining a forwardlooking squad.
Mahmood gets his chance because of injuries to Jimmy Anderson and Mark Wood, who will go on an overseas bowling camp to try to prove their fitness for the tour of south Africa over Christmas and the New Year.
And leg- spinner Parkinson, described as a ‘feisty’ character by smith, gets the nod over somerset’s Dom Bess, Hampshire’s Mason Crane and surrey’s Amar Virdi for the back-up spin bowler’s role to Jack Leach in the selfimposed absence of Moeen Ali.
Parkinson discovered the news when it was shouted to him from the balcony by Mahmood during Lancashire’s match at Leicestershire.
‘i was mid- over when i found out,’ said Parkinson. ‘saqib, who isn’t playing in this match, was on the players’ balcony and he shouted the news to me.
‘At the end of the over i came down to fine leg and was asking which squad i was in!
‘then the other lads found out and came over to congratulate me. it’s an amazing way to finish the season.’
ENGLAND have, as revealed by Sportsmail, decided to rest the bulk of their big guns for the five-match twenty20 series in New Zealand that precedes the tests, with Mahmood and Parkinson joining other newcomers in somerset pair tom Banton and Lewis gregory and Worcestershire’s box of bowling tricks Pat Brown.
there are also recalls for James Vince and Dawid Malan, two batsmen discarded from test cricket but still considered good enough for a depleted twenty20 squad starting the build- up to next year’s short-form World Cup under captain Eoin Morgan.
the sole all- format player, ironically, to feature in the t20 squad is Bairstow, who will have to leave New Zealand just as the test team arrives.