GRIM AND BAIR IT...
Jonny’s brave call backfires
® from RODNEY WHITE
JONNY BAIRSTOW made the call that just about summed up England’s Ashes this winter.
The Yorkshire batsman insisted on going out to face the Aussies when skipper Joe Root was out with just 15 balls left in the day.
Test debutant Mason Crane, the side’s nominated nightwatchman, was told to stay put in the Sydney dressing rooms and that Bairstow would deal with the situation.
Sadly, he didn’t. Seven balls later he edged Josh Hazlewood to Tim Paine and England closed a raininterrupted first day of the fifth Test on 233-5, rather than the far more promising 228-3 they were before Root’s dismissal.
The England skipper must take some blame, giving away his wicket by being caught at square leg off Mitchell Starc for 83.
He had put on 133 with Dawid Malan after England won the toss and batted. And Malan said: “It sort of sums up where we’ve been on this tour.
“We’ve been on top for so long in games, and we make one or two mistakes and suddenly let the Aussies back in.”
Asked if he was surprised to see Bairstow come in he said: “I was a little bit but the decision is not the coaches’ to make – that’s down to the batsman in.
Suited
“Jonny made that decision and good on him. It takes guts to go against what people normally do.
“He probably felt he was better suited for that new ball. Some people like it and some don’t.
“I’ll have a nightwatchman every time if there’s an opportunity – and it’d be an hour out as well. Each to their own. You can’t really look back and say he shouldn’t have.
“He did it, he backed himself and he got out. It’s pretty simple.”
So was Root’s dismissal, as he missed out on yet another chance to register his first Test ton in Australia. He has now gone on to three figures just five times out of his last 28 half-centuries.
“If it was two or three yards to the left or right, it would have been four and everyone would have said, ‘Great shot’,” Malan added.
“But whoever you are, you want to be scoring hundreds.”
Mark Stoneman, James Vince and Alastair Cook all gots starts and were then dismissed to leave England 95-3.