England can learn so much from Bairstow
biggest thing — being comfortable within yourself and in your surroundings.
“I have grown up a lot over the last three years. I’m not sure what I can particularly put that down to but naturally you grow up from a boy to a man and you learn about different things.
“I feel like I’m still learning and my hard work is paying off.
“I would have put more pressure on myself to perform each time I played two years ago but I’m at that stage now where I’ve been in and out of the team and had to learn to deal with it which is a skill in itself.”
Bairstow was expected to keep his place in the XI at Taunton, with Liam Livingstone preparing to make his England debut.
The Lancashire batsman is highly regarded by ECB batting coach Graham Thorpe and has impressed in limitedovers cricket for his county.
If Livingstone does play, he will be looking eagerly at Taunton’s short boundaries.
South Africa captain AB De Villiers will demand a far more impressive fielding display from his players after their slack work at Southampton. England won that game by nine wickets, with 33 balls to spare, after restricting South Africa to 142 for three.