Jonny’s ton leads England to victory
JONNY Bairstow’s magnificent century and a ferocious knock of 99 from Ben Stokes saw England level the series with a thrilling chase in the second ODI against India.
Facing a stiff target of 337, the fearless top order tore chunks out of it to take the series to a decider tomorrow.
The tourists smashed 20 sixes between them and left 39 balls unused.
Bairstow’s 124 was the centrepiece, his 11th ODI hundred a magnificent combination of clean hitting confidence, while Stokes fell one short of his own century after a furious blitz that saw him clear the ropes on 10 occasions.
Batting in Joe Root’s usual slot at No.3, he soared from 50 to 99 in just 11 deliveries before a flick off the glove denied him a breathtaking ton. England indulged a late wobble, with Stokes, Bairstow and Jos Buttler falling in a handful of deliveries, but the frenzied scoring that the top three left behind meant the hard work was already done.
It was testament to England’s bench strength that the finishing touches were applied by debutant Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan, both in as late injury replacements for Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings.
Having given England a brilliant start in the opening match of the series only to see them slip to defeat, Yorkshire ace Bairstow was delighted to contribute to a win.
“It was disappointing to miss out (on a century) in the last game, but delighted to get across the line in this one,” he said.
“It was exactly the same in the last game, when I thought we were excellent and ahead of the run-rate by a long way.
“It was exactly the same game plan, to put them under pressure. We saw Ben play some rather entertaining shots down the ground, and it was just a case of getting him onto strike at the other end.”
Bairstow feels his relationship with Roy, who made 55, at the top of the order is ‘natural.’
He said: “Today I faced about eight balls in the first eight overs, while Jason went all guns blazing at the other end. Last time it was me who got off to a bit of a quicker start.
“The relationship we have got at the top of the order is great, and hopefully long may that continue.”