KEEPER FAITH IN ME
Bairstow does not want broken finger to stop him taking his place behind stumps
JONNY BAIRSTOW has warned he will not give up the England keeping gloves without a fight.
Bairstow has a broken finger that will force him to play as a specialist batsman, but he has thrown down the gauntlet to the England management who are considering stopping him wicket-keeping in the long term.
Coach Trevor Bayliss has suggested that if he were to play as a batsman this week, it could open the door for the Yorkshireman to continue in that role to help solve their top-order batting woes.
Bayliss (right with Bairstow) believes his batting could get even better if he just had the one role to focus on, giving Jos Buttler the gloves permanently.
But Bairstow said: “That’s quite a bold statement because if you look at the stats they suggest I’m better if I keep wicket as well.
“I want to play so if I’m not able to keep wicket I’d like to think I can play as a specialist batsman. At the same time I’m still desperate to keep my place as the keeper so there are conversations to be had.
“It’s very kind of people to mention as a specialist batsman how good you potentially can be but that’s all potentials. It is achievable with the gloves.
“It’s a difficult one because you put so much hard work into keeping wicket over a long sustained period of time.
“It would be like saying, ‘Do you want to give up your laptop and write everything free hand again’.”
Bairstow’s concerns about his future as a keeper- batsman are understandable and justified considering Buttler has unexpectedly arrived back in the team and been promoted to vice-captain in a heartbeat.
But the demands of the team must come first and that was perhaps the point of an 15-minute animated conversation he had with Bayliss either side of doing a spot of keeping and then batting in Southampton as the players started preparations for the fourth Test, starting tomorrow.
England have enough on their plate without using more energy on Bairstow’s predicament.
Chris Woakes failed to train with the team due to a tight right quad, the same injury that kept him out in the early part of the summer, which could rule him out of contention. Ben Stokes has a sore left knee that could reduce the amount of overs he can bowl.
With Sam Curran waiting in the wings, there is a ready-made replacement for Woakes, while a non-bowling Stokes could open the door for Moeen Ali to return for Ollie Pope.