PLAYING CATCH-UP JONNY THREE GOOD
Bairstow plots Test return and a move up batting order
Bairstow warms up for the Sri Lanka tour and wants to make up for lost time on the Test scene
JONNY BAIRSTOW has sent a ‘pick me at three’ plea to skipper Joe Root as he looks to rebuild his Test career in Sri Lanka.
The absence of Rory Burns, Ben Stokes and, for the time being, Ollie Pope in the batting order, plus Moeen Ali isolating because of Covid, means there is plenty of opportunity for Bairstow to make an impact on this two-Test tour.
And at the start of a year that ends in Australia, the 70times capped batsman could not choose a better time to get reacquainted with the longest form of the game.
His last visit to Sri Lanka saw him recover from a football injury to bat at No.3 in the final Test in Colombo, scoring a memorable hundred.
And while he might not have quite the same bristling intensity as he did going into the game then, his desire for more Test success over the coming years is plain to see.
“It’s an opportunity and something I’m excited about,” said Bairstow. “That’s how I’m looking at it. I’ve played a lot of cricket now and of course I want to get back into the Test side. There’s a lot of Test cricket coming up and I want to be a part of it.
“I don’t see why three isn’t an option for me. The last time I played in Sri Lanka, I got a hundred batting at three. I’ve batted a few times at three and generally done all right.
“If that is the case, then bring it on. We are very fortunate to be doing what we’re doing, so to go out there and bat at three will be great.”
It will have been five months since Bairstow played a competitive shot in a redball match following his two Bob Wi l l i s Trophy appearances for Yorkshire.
He is adamant the work has been put in and by playing plenty of cricket at the IPL against spin he has felt bat on ball more than most. Whether he can cope more successfully with the change in format remains to be seen.
“Obviously there’s been periods when I’ve wanted to work on different bits and people have said my technique has changed,” he added, referring perhaps to his open stance in T20 cricket.
“That’s fine. Techniques do change, they’re ever evolving and I put in a lot of work during the red-ball camp early last summer.
“The runs I have left in the tank over the next three, four, five – however many years it may be – is something with which I believe I can be a huge contributor to English cricket in the Test arena.”