England’s T20 defeat to South Africa on Friday was an entertaining if disappointing game as the hosts conspired to lose their grip on a game they really should have won. While there are questions over the temperament of some of England’s young players, there are no question marks over the class of Jonny Bairstow.
The Yorkshire wicketkeeper came in with England on 15-1 following the dismissal of Sam Billings. With South Africa in the ascendancy, Bairstow came in and steadied the ship with a superb 47 from 37 balls.
It was the latest innings in which the batsman has shown his ability following his 60 not out in the first T20 earlier in the week and the 43 he made against Pakistan after being thrown into the side in place of the out of form Jason Roy.
The fact Bairstow was able to come into the side for an ICC Champions Trophy quarter-final and seem like he had been in the starting XI all along is testament to the player. He has looked so commanding and at home whenever he has been called upon.
It does beg the question then, could Bairstow fill one of the troublesome positions in the England Test team?
Currently, there are two positions in which Bairstow could thrive, the first of which being Alastair Cook’s opening partner. Haseeb Hameed and Keaton Jennings have both been utilised as an opener with the former sustaining a hand injury before the latter was brought into the side.
Many would cite that Bairstow is not an opener at county level and so would not be cut out for the tribulations of opening the batting. However, in the recent T20’s he has been forced to basically play as an opener following the early dismissals of Jason Roy and Sam Billings.
In the ODI against Pakistan he was Alex Hales partner and he did a fine job in a game in which only he and Joe Root stood out for their batting. White ball cricket is very different to Tests with completely different demands on the players, but whenever he has been called upon to do a job, he has done it with aplomb.
The second position he could fill is at number four. Joe Root is well set at number three with the likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali fixtures of the team too. Players like of Sam Robson and Gary Ballance have tried and failed to make this position their own.
Bairstow has all the abilities that make a top class number four too and it would be a crying shame to see him miss out on a Test berth again. His ability to score quickly, rotate the strike and dig in are vital in the Test arena.
Technically he is supremely gifted and seems to have the crucial ability to improve upon key areas and weaknesses in his game. When he has played for England in the past he was exposed for lacking grit and determination while his weakness against the short ball was often his downfall. His temperament was another problem and he was not a player England wanted coming in with the score at 40-4.
He was subsequently dropped. What sets him apart from many other players is the fact that he took his exit from the team, went away and worked on all of his defects and is now a far better player for it.
Whether the Yorkshire player is used at number one remains to be seen and is unlikely, but a place in the middle order is a minimum for a batsman that he proved his worth in all but one of the forms of the game. It’s time his was given the chance to prove his worth in Test cricket too.
