First of all, it’s fantastic to hear that England will be visiting Sri Lanka for a short test tour in January. I consider myself a very modern cricket fan who loves the white ball game, but of course test match cricket is still the pinnacle and so it will be great to see England back in red ball action. It will also be great preparation for the rest of England’s winter in the subcontinent.
Now on to the big topic that arose from the talk of the Sri Lanka tour, and that’s the news from the Evening Standard that Jonny Bairstow is expected to be a part of a 20-man squad. This will see him cancel his stint in the BBL with the Melbourne stars and fly out to South Asia in early January instead.
Looking at Twitter, the general consensus seems to be that this is a bad decision from Ed Smith and James Taylor, which is not surprising when YJB averages just over 18 from his last 19 test innings and wasn’t included in the summer’s red ball bubble once the squad was split.
The main issue for many people is that Jos Buttler is the current incumbent with the gloves, and Ben Foakes (the best glove man in the country) is his back up. Because of this you cannot see YJB coming into the squad, or deserving to, to challenge for the gloves and be the wicketkeeper-batsman; which means he must be coming in as purely a batsman.
This seems ludicrous based on the previous stat, and especially when you add that Bairstow did not shine in this summer’s Bob Willis Trophy and has been struggling with a clear flaw in red ball batting. Many will consider this to be another short term decision from Smith that ignores upcoming talent from the county championship in favour of an old pal who has already had his chance and now only shows form in white ball cricket. Obviously for many traditionalists this makes the decision seem both silly and infuriating in equal measure.
However, there may be some logic to the madness of Bairstow being included in the Test squad for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is well known to be a hotbed for spinners, and Bairstow has England’s second best average against spinners in recent years, only beaten by Chris Woakes surprisingly. He also averages a very good 44 in his previous Test tours to Sri Lanka and India. This, alongside his century in England’s last test in Sri Lanka, makes YJB an attractive proposition for the short term in the sub-continent; especially with a huge four-test series in India to follow immediately after the Sri Lanka two-test tour.
Of course, there’s been a few young batsman that have been showing plenty of promise and did well within the red ball bubble and the Bob Willis this summer that many will feel deserve a chance. These include Dan Lawrence, Tom Abell, Ben Duckett and James Bracey, although many of them would be expected to bat higher in the order than the spot YJB is tipped to be used for; which would be considered by many to be low for a specialist batsman.
It is expected that Bairstow will be taking the place of Ollie Pope (likely to not be fit following a shoulder injury and surgery) and thus an option at 7; a position where Bairstow has had the vast majority of his success in red ball cricket. Although it must be noted that he did have the gloves when previously at 7 and this may be considered to have an effect on YJB’s batting performances.
The other benefit to YJB is that he is an option throughout the batting order (whether you agree with it or not) having had experience throughout the line up, which may be considered a big benefit in the times of Covid where larger squads are needed, and in a team lacking much experience or prowess against spin its top 3.
There is no doubt that Jonny Bairstow is a remarkable batsman who has shown his ability to win matches in all forms of cricket. But his red ball form has slumped massively in the last 2 years; most likely due to his concentration on white ball cricket for last years World Cup and next years T20 WC, as well as having his test team role changed continually by the selectors, coaching staff and Joe Root.
This makes it hard to see YJB being a total success, certainly long term as England no doubt look to become world number 1. However, there is some logic that can be attached to the decision as we have discussed, and it is very possible that short term (with his current strengths and his experience that suit the task ahead) he could be a success for Ed Smith and his school of ‘inspired selections’.
I certainly would not disagree with the selection should at least 2 of the younger stars from the Lions also be selected for the squad, as they should not miss out due to him. However I must add that I would rather we take Jonny over Keaton Jennings, who is often lauded as a sub-continent specialist.
What no ones do not knows is how successful this selection will come to be.
But one thing we can guarantee is that Bairstow will come out fighting and fully committed, giving his all to be a success again for the 3 lions, his tight-knit family and of course in memory of his late Father. We must not forget that YJB is a fantastic cricketer, and he has achieved a lot in an England shirt. Let’s hope he achieves that little bit more in red ball cricket in 2021; whether you agree with Smith/Taylor and this likely selection or not.
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