Bairstow: I’m ready to bat No 3 in Ashes

JONNY BAIRSTOW believes he is the right man to bat at No 3 in England’s Test team and has insisted that his experience will be crucial to their attempts to reclaim the Ashes this winter. Bairstow thrashed 94 from 66 balls before Eoin Morgan’s side threw away Tuesday’s first one-day international in Pune, and remains in good touch in both the white-ball formats. But following his struggles in the last two Tests in India, when he made three ducks in four innings, he has made a fresh plea to keep his red-ball spot ahead of the English summer. ‘I’m very keen to do that,’ he said. ‘Obviously people would have spoken about the last two Tests here, but I scored runs prior to that in Sri Lanka. ‘There wasn’t anyone in those last two games who exactly lit it up, was there? ‘A pink-ball Test match at a new venue where nobody scored any runs, and then in the last game there was an umpire’s-call decision that didn’t go my way.’ Since making a breakthrough century at No 3 in Colombo in November 2018, Bairstow has averaged below 20 in Test cricket. But he has his sights set on a return to Australia, where two previous tours have brought him one century but no other score above 42. ‘With the experiences I’ve had over in Australia, I think going there with a wealth of experience gives you a better chance of having success,’ he said. ‘Hopefully I’ll be given that opportunity.’ England will make a late call on the fitness of captain Morgan and batsman Sam Billings ahead of tomorrow’s second ODI. Meanwhile, England have extended their next West Indies tour in a bid to repay the Caribbean side for touring last year during the height of the pandemic. England will now play five Twenty20 internationals rather than three, starting on January 28 next year, and three Tests instead of two, beginning on March 8. The Ashes will start later than usual this year — mid-December has been earmarked.