Bairstow Hits Out

By Gary Watton
January 8 2016

I really felt that our very own Jonny Bairstow was drinking in the last chance saloon when he was nominated ahead of young Jos Buttler for the England eleven at the outset of the current series in South Africa. It's true that JB's test average in 2015 was better than Buttler's, though that wouldn't be too hard to accomplish. Furthermore, Jonny had fared well when England last played South Africa on our own shores. In the event, he was probably granted the first two tests, with the belief that he really needed to post a score of fifty or more during the first two skirmishes in order to retain his place for the duration of the series. 

Well, Jonny may finally have come of age after a succession of promising starts that failed to live up to their promise. At last he seems able to convert a start into something substantial like he achieves at Yorkshire time and again. Now, his rise in prominence will almost certainly rob Yorkshire of his considerable services this forthcoming summer, when previously it looked like he was keeping the seat warm for young Buttler until the latter found his form again. Instead, Bairstow's new rise to prominence is Yorkshire's loss but presumably Andrew Hodd's gain. It should ensure a prolonged run in the county's first eleven for Hoddy this forthcoming summer.

After his first test 79 and his 180 runs unbeaten in the second test, containing his maiden test century of 150 not out, Bairstow has now cemented his place in the England set-up for the foreseeable future. In fact, the sage Simon Hughes has suggested that JB is the new Matt Prior, someone who can revel in the number seven position, launching late order counter-attacks in conjunction with such kindred spirits as the red-hot Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Stuart Broad.

Jonny clearly has a liking for playing against the hallowed opposition of the Proteas, the world's number one ranked cricketing nation. Somebody just needs to tell him in future tests against other nations to pretend that he is playing against South Africa! If he replicates his form against other teams, he could be a fixture in the England team for the next few years, and indeed emulate the great Matt Prior. Let's hope so.