Sidelined Bairstow is fighting hard for spot
JONNY Bairstow intends to give the England selectors a dilemma as he eyes a recall in the final Test against Sri Lanka.
The Yorkshire wicketkeeper has had to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates clinched serieswinning victories in Galle and Kandy, initially ruled out with an ankle injury then overlooked after Ben Foakes’ flawless debut.
Having arrived on tour as undisputed first choice the 29-year-old is suddenly wondering how he will break back into the XI, with Foakes emphatically taking his chance with the gloves.
Bairstow has more than enough pedigree to push for a place as a specialist batsman and plans to press his claims in the build-up to the third Test in Colombo.
“Look, selection is above my pay grade and that’s why you want to be giving other people headaches with that,” he said. “I’m training hard, hitting the ball nicely in the nets and I’d like to think people know that in the background I’ll be pushing as hard as possible to be playing this week.
“I’ve worked hard and had that spot for two-and-a-half years, so to do that - keep wicket, bat at five, six or seven in all different conditions I’m very proud of that.”
England may be forced into one change if Sam Curran’s side strain does not clear up over the coming days.
The players were granted a day off on Tuesday and the all-rounder will be assessed again ahead of today’s training session.
Meanwhile, Trevor Bayliss is confident England’s series win in Sri Lanka is the beginning of a ‘different era’ that will comfortably outlive his own tenure as head coach.
Victories in Galle and Kandy have given the tourists a 2-0 lead heading into the final Test in Colombo, ending a near three-year wait for overseas success. Finding a winning formula away from home has been the major challenge of Bayliss’ time at the helm, with only one of his previous six Test tours ending in triumph: a memorable but anomalous 201516 trip to South Africa.
Having already stated his intention to depart when his contract expires after next summer’s Ashes, this winter represented a final opportunity to reposition the side as a major force outside of England and the Australian has seen enough to believe that process is well under way.
Joe Root’s captaincy has hit a new stride as he begins to shape the ethos in his own image, while the likes of Curran, Foakes and Rory Burns have broken into the side in impressive style.
The retirement of Alastair Cook, the country’s record cap-holder and run-scorer, might easily have ushered in a period of uncertainty but Bayliss has seen the dressing room evolve quickly. “This group are all, apart from one or two, fairly close in age, they’re good mates and they all seem to be responding to Joe’s call,” he said. “We loved having Cook in the team, it’s just a different era. Things move on. There’s no secret in the fact we’ve been looking for two or three, maybe even four, positions to get nailed down.” Bayliss, though, is not in it for the long haul. Asked if recent developments tempted him to stick around longer than planned, he was unmoved. “I’ve always been of the opinion, that four to five years is a good life for a coach with one team.”
I’m training hard, hitting the ball nicely in the nets and I’d like people to know I’ll be pushing hard