Now the hero of the hour has to become a one-day wonder
Bairstow must be part of England’s strategy for the Champions Trophy, says Scyld Berry in Mohali
When, in the week of lull between this third Test and the fourth in Mumbai, England’s selectors choose their squad for the one-day series against India after Christmas, they have to revise their strategy for next summer’s Champions Trophy by finding a regular place for Jonny Bairstow.
Bairstow has been a marginal oneday batsman for England, a member of the squad rather than their rapidly evolving team, but such has been his personal growth in this calendar year – the latest evidence his 89 which kept England in the third Test – that he must be accommodated.
England’s normal top order in oneday internationals consists of Jason Roy, Alex Hales (if the venue is not Bangladesh), Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. It is an exciting line-up on a flat pitch, yet too iffy if the ball is moving around or it is a high-pressure occasion, like a knockout match in next year’s Champions Trophy – or the World Cup of 2019 – would be, especially because England have never won a 50-over tournament.
This iffiness was proved in the World T20 final in Calcutta against West Indies this year. England did not lose that game when Carlos Brathwaite bludgeoned Ben Stokes. They lost it when their top order, except for Joe Root, crumbled to 23 for three, which forced Root and Jos Buttler to rebuild relatively slowly. A more reliable 50over top order would consist of Roy, Root, Bairstow and Morgan, with the option of promoting Moeen Ali.
Bairstow’s innings yesterday after he had been promoted to No 5, was yet another stage in his development, as it demonstrated he could tailor his batting to fresh circumstances. His record-breaking year – most Test runs by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year, most by a Test batsman in 2016 – has been based on having a bit of a blast at No 7. But here he constructed an innings as watertight as could be in repairing England’s 87 for four, after their batsmen – with the exception of Haseeb Hameed – had given away their wickets.
So instead of accelerating, Bairstow
reined himself in after the acute disappointment of England’s top-order failure. Thanks to Bairstow, they just about stayed in the game.
How mature of Bairstow, though only 27, to allow Jos Buttler to be himself. England could not afford the luxury of both attacking so it made sense for Buttler, on his recall after a year’s absence, to play his most natural game, and he scored 43 of their partnership of 69. As a pair they made a mirror image. Bairstow is the wicketkeeper-batsman in red-ball cricket with Buttler the specialist batsman, Buttler is the wicketkeeperbatsman in white-ball cricket with Bairstow the specialist batsman. Is there room for both, or is it like a onehorse town in the Wild West? Very seldom in England’s Test history have they been able to accommodate a specialist batsman at No 7.
After Buttler’s dismissal, Bairstow had to hang in while Chris Woakes got his bearings: he had missed the second Test and scored only four runs in the first, after topping England’s batting averages in Bangladesh. Only then did Bairstow accelerate, by placing twos and scampering between wickets.
Bairstow’s zest when running is one of his most attractive attributes. So it is with Buttler and Stokes. But something keeps the England Test team, with all their astonishing talents, from fulfilling their potential, as the scoreline since their tour of South Africa would indicate: 5-4.