ROOT TO THE TOP
Bairstow backs skipper despite his Tykes pal missing yet another century chance
JONNY BAIRSTOW leapt to Joe Root’s defence after the England captain finished a disappointing winter with the bat in familiar style.
For the seventh time Down Under since England’s misery began in November, Root again reached 50 and again failed to go on and make a big score.
His opposite numbers, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, have collected four Test tons and five Test wins between them in matches against England this winter, and have got the better of him in every metric.
Root may yet get the chance to celebrate a single success before he leaves Christchurch, but as he walked off the field as a batsman for the last time with 54 to his name and a seventh half-century in seven matches, he must have been wondering what might have been. But despite his failure to build big innings in Australia and New Zealand, first innings century-maker Bairstow said: “I’d take seven 50s! He’s averaging 52-53, and I’d take that in Test cricket.
“He’s scored 13 hundreds and he’s only 27. To be averaging 53 in 60 Test matches, there’s not many people in world cricket that have ever done that.
“We’re very fortunate to have our leader doing that, and it’s only a matter of time before he converts the 50s into hundreds. I don’t think it’s a problem at all.
“This winter hasn’t gone too well. Yes, he’s the captain but there are 10 other guys on the field who have got an opportunity to go and influence the game, it is not down to one bloke.”
There have been far more contributions in this game with Dawid Malan joining Mark Stoneman and James Vince in making a halfcentury, which allowed Root to declare on 352-9 and set New Zealand a fanciful 382 to win.
Most will expect the tried and trusted James Anderson and Stuart Broad to deliver the goods once more, but new spinner Jack Leach could yet make his name on debut.
But up until now though England’s most decorated spinner of recent vintage, Graeme Swann, has been disappointed with the way Root has used his latest addition.
Swann said: “I love Joe to pieces, but his textbook is a bit old-school Yorkshire cricket.
“I couldn’t understand Jack Leach’s field – why did he have an extra cover? Why would you block the one area where you want the batsman to drive, so he might create a gap between bat and pad?”