Russell injury fear
Bairstow opens up on his frustrating and arduous journey from quarantine to India as he bids to revive England’s spin-weary line-up
DAVY RUSSELL is out of the Cheltenham Festival — and admits “it’s going to be tight” in his race to be fit for Tiger Roll’s Grand National hat-trick bid.
The 41-year-old Irishman has been out of action since suffering fractured and dislocated vertebrae in a fall at the first fence of the Munster National at Limerick in October.
But yesterday the jockey, whose book of Festival rides included Gordon Elliott’s unbeaten superstar Envoi Allen, said: “After talking things through with Gordon, we both feel it is sensible for me to miss Cheltenham. To ride horses of the calibre of Envoi Allen you have to be 100 per cent fit. It’s hugely disappointing.”
Looking ahead to the Grand National on April 10, Russell added: “It’s the next step to aim at, but it’s going to be tight.”
CHARLES BYRNES has lost his appeal against a six-month ban for the “inexcusable” negligence that led to the doping of Viking Hoard at Tramore in October 2018.
JONNY BAIRSTOW endured a marathon journey to rejoin England’s crusade in India – including a seven-hour bus transfer with no comfort breaks.
To comply with social distancing and Covid-secure protocols, Bairstow’s return to the Test squad, from which he was jettisoned with indecent haste last month, was a complex tale of planes, banes and automobiles.
The bristling Yorkshire batsman (left) detailed his 24-hour test of endurance – across India, across time zones and with crossed legs – ahead of next week’s day-night pink ball third Test.
With the series level at 1-1, and England’s batsmen befuddled by spin, Bairstow, 31, is expected to be parachuted back into the top three in Ahmedabad.
But he admitted the logistics, and lack of fresh air, were “mentally taxing” on a passage to India with pace bowler Mark Wood which required endurance and an Olympian bladder. Bairstow said: “The journey back out was four hours down to Heathrow, where we nearly broke down, which was interesting, then we had the flight out to Bangalore.
“We arrived, had coronavirus tests and had to wait in the airport for our results to be negative – then we had a seven-and-a-half hour bus journey across India to Chennai. We weren’t allowed to stop on that journey. I’ll let you have your own thoughts about how that trip was.
“There was myself and Woody, plus some members of the support staff, and when we arrived in the hotel we went straight to our bedrooms, where unfortunately there wasn’t any fresh air, which naturally made the quarantine period tough.
“We got through that, all the tests came back negative and we rejoined the group a few days ago. It’s tricky with the logistics, the quarantine periods, and very tricky when you’re on a plane with other people.
“You’ve been quarantined at home effectively, because you don’t want to contract the virus for your loved ones within your family but also because then you can’t board a plane to come out to rejoin the tour.
“But then you’re on a plane with people you’ve never met, and then you get to the airport and you’re greeted by a lot of cricket-loving Indian fans.
“You’re then quarantined in your rooms hoping you haven’t caught anything on the journey over because you’d be in the room for another 14 days so, yes, it is quite mentally taxing.”
Bairstow played a vital role at No.3 to help them win the series 2-0 in Sri Lanka.
Sam Curran will not rejoin the England squad for the fourth Test, as had been planned.
It became clear his journey from England to Ahmedabad would require more than one commercial flight, bringing additional concerns over possible exposure to coronavirus.