Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
Jonny wraps up series whitewash in big-hitting style
WHEN it came, the final two balls of the series perfectly summed up this 3-0 whitewash by England over the world Test champions New Zealand.
A powerful cut for four through the covers followed by a towering six over wide long on from Jonny Bairstow to complete a seven-wicket win and a third successive run chase of more than 250.
No team has ever done that before, but in the space of four weeks this England Test side has been transformed from an uncertain and misfiring rabble, into a high-octane, ruthless cricketing powerhouse.
And no one has epitomised that change more than Bairstow, who returned from the IPL desperate to prove his worth as an international red-ball player to the new regime and has found himself the beating heart of this revolution.
India will be up next for England and their bowling attack is perhaps even more menacing than New Zealand’s, but how on earth will they be able to stop Bairstow in this form?
England only needed 111 more runs when he charged for the middle once Ollie Pope had been dismissed.
He was a man in a hurry to cash in – and inevitably it was the Kiwi bowlers who were going to pay.
They were powerless to stop him as his 50 came from 30 balls, the second fastest in Tests for England.
Man of the series Joe Root (bottom left) was at the other end, happy to give him the strike as if it were a one-day international. “It is special,” said Root, who has enjoyed life after handing over the captaincy to Ben Stokes.
“It is phenomenal to start Ben’s era like that and I’ll keep supporting Ben however I can. It’s great to see Jonny in this kind of form and playing with that kind of freedom.
“I’m sure everyone watching in the ground and at home enjoyed it as much as we have from the dressing room.
“I can’t see many bowlers enjoying going back to their mark when he’s hitting it like he was today.”
Stokes and new coach Brendon Mccullum also
hailed Bairstow. England were struggling in the first innings, remember, before his arrival at the crease.
“At 55-6 we were in all sorts.
So for Jonny to continue to play like that was brilliant,” said Stokes.
“He had asked Mccullum how he should play, and Baz just said, ‘Go and grab your sudoku book and sit down next to me.’ Basically telling him to shut up and whatever he did last week go and do it again. So he did.”
The bowlers stood up, too, with Jack Leach (left) claiming the man-of-thematch award for his maiden 10-wicket haul.
“I was delighted for Leachy who really responded to the responsibility I gave him,” added Stokes.
“He’s always been a worldclass bowler but he’s continued to be brave in this series. His mindset has been to attack and try and take wickets – and he’s got his rewards here.”