The Jonny Bairstow thread

[jeeteshssaxena]

In ODI's he is way ahead. He wins game in the first 10 overs. Where as Rohit is blocking the first 10 overs to set himself for a hundred.

He is definitely not ahead of Rohit, the body of work and iconic innings sets Rohit apart.

Also Rohit's record as opener is better than Bairstow.

If you use this logic then Bairstow is also ahead of Babar Azam by a long shot considering Babar starts slow and he doesn't have the ability to hits sixes and fours and score daddy hundreds like Rohit once he gets set.

 

[Moeey]

He is definitely not ahead of Rohit, the body of work and iconic innings sets Rohit apart.

Also Rohit's record as opener is better than Bairstow.

If you use this logic then Bairstow is also ahead of Babar Azam by a long shot considering Babar starts slow and he doesn't have the ability to hits sixes and fours and score daddy hundreds like Rohit once he gets set.

bairstow is superior in every way. baristow helped england win the WC. what has rohit achieved in terms of titles. minnow bashing in bilaterals dont mean much.

 

[James]

It won't always work. Botham was able to hammer moderate attacks, but found it harder against WI and Pakistan.

Remember that this Kiwi attack was using the strangely uncooperative current Duke balls, with just one effective bowler due to injuries, loss of form and bad selections.

Good for Bairstow, but let's not get carried away.

When all formats are considered Bairstow is a world class batsman, but in terms of Test Cricket this year has been a freakish outlier amidst his career record thus far. We will see how he does in July and August against India and South Africa before drawing too many conclusions. He is however in some serious nick right now and I would back him to continue scoring.

 

[Robert]

When all formats are considered Bairstow is a world class batsman, but in terms of Test Cricket this year has been a freakish outlier amidst his career record thus far. We will see how he does in July and August against India and South Africa before drawing too many conclusions. He is however in some serious nick right now and I would back him to continue scoring.

His average is over 35 for the first time in a while. I hope he gets it up past 40 by the time he’s done.

 

[James]

Everyone going on about Australia in various threads, but Bairstow scored an excellent match saving century there in January this year.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

bairstow is superior in every way. baristow helped england win the WC. what has rohit achieved in terms of titles. minnow bashing in bilaterals dont mean much.

Check Rohit's stats in world cup, he's no minnow basher.

 

[Robert]

Everyone going on about Australia in various threads, but Bairstow scored an excellent match saving century there in January this year.

He did, but not at batting rate 120. I said he’d find it harder to flay good attacks, and would have to be more careful.

 

[Mobashir]

He is definitely not ahead of Rohit, the body of work and iconic innings sets Rohit apart.

Also Rohit's record as opener is better than Bairstow.

If you use this logic then Bairstow is also ahead of Babar Azam by a long shot considering Babar starts slow and he doesn't have the ability to hits sixes and fours and score daddy hundreds like Rohit once he gets set.

Openers and number 3's often have different roles.
In this case, they have completely différent role. Babar Azam, when compared to other number 3's, starts his innings at a better SR.

Bairstow is the best ODI opener in the world currently.

 

[Moeey]

Openers and number 3's often have different roles.
In this case, they have completely différent role. Babar Azam, when compared to other number 3's, starts his innings at a better SR.

Bairstow is the best ODI opener in the world currently.

Best odi batsman in the world period. Way better than overrated sharma even in sharmas best form

 

[Moeey]

Sharma is,not much better than fakhar or even Imam

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Openers and number 3's often have different roles.
In this case, they have completely différent role. Babar Azam, when compared to other number 3's, starts his innings at a better SR.

Bairstow is the best ODI opener in the world currently.

Currently Bairstow is better as Sharma is out of form.
Number 3 have a different role, but Babar starts slow and doesn't have the big hitting ability that Sharma possess.

Also Sharma's role is different to Bairstow, India isn't filled with great batsman from 1 to 7 unlike England, our top 3 bore thr brunt of a weak middle order till 2020, after which they lost their form.

India's top 3's situation was similar to Pakistan's current top 3. Except that our top 3 operated at a totally different level to their counterparts which can be seen in both their stats and impact.

 

[shamaan]

He has had a successful career in all formats. But won't be termed as great in any format. He has some technical deficiencies in white ball cricket too although on flat tracks he is an out and out match winner. Buttler for example is England's greatest white ball batsman but a failure in test cricket. Bairstow is a successful all format batsman.

Averaging 36 in test isn't successful should be averages 40+

Am pretty much sure Shahid Afridi had a better average than Bairstow in tests and better strike rate.

I would take fakhar instead of Sharma or Bairstow

 

[James]

Averaging 36 in test isn't successful should be averages 40+

Am pretty much sure Shahid Afridi had a better average than Bairstow in tests and better strike rate.

I would take fakhar instead of Sharma or Bairstow

I think Bairstow may have finally “cracked” Test cricket. If this is the case then he will average above 40 overall soon enough.

 

[shamaan]

I think Bairstow may have finally “cracked” Test cricket. If this is the case then he will average above 40 overall soon enough.

Hopefully he does because he does have the skill to get 40+ average.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

I think Bairstow may have finally “cracked” Test cricket. If this is the case then he will average above 40 overall soon enough.

We will see. It's hard to know if his style of batting is sustainable.

 

[James]

Hopefully he does because he does have the skill to get 40+ average.

We will see. It's hard to know if his style of batting is sustainable.

His Test average has been ~40 (39-41) for much of his career. It’s only in the last few years when he went into an apparently terminal slump and was barely averaging 30 by this point. Hopefully he is on the way back up now. This specialist batsman position at number five seems to suit him best.

 

[Ab Fan]

Averaging 36 in test isn't successful should be averages 40+

Am pretty much sure Shahid Afridi had a better average than Bairstow in tests and better strike rate.

I would take fakhar instead of Sharma or Bairstow

Sharma? Did you by chance included Sharma in it? He is one of the bettee openers of this generation

For me, the benchmark for test success should be 10 test hundreds. You cannot be a successful batsman if you don't have that much in a test playing nation in the modern era.

 

[James]

Oh how England could do with another quickfire special from the Orange Destroyer tomorrow.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is great viewing .. <a href="https://twitter.com/RishabhPant17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RishabhPant17</a> doing a Jonny B … <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a></p>— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1542905053912129538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

==

Indian fans didnt like this comparison!

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is great viewing .. <a href="https://twitter.com/RishabhPant17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RishabhPant17</a> doing a Jonny B … <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a></p>— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1542905053912129538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

==

Indian fans didnt like this comparison!

Both good players in Test cricket who bat very quickly and destructively and keep wicket, though Bairstow not much on the latter nowadays. Don’t get the issue with the comparison. Seems like a very touchy/sensitive and insecure response in some of the comments.

 

[Moeey]

Both good players in Test cricket who bat very quickly and destructively and keep wicket, though Bairstow not much on the latter nowadays. Don’t get the issue with the comparison. Seems like a very touchy/sensitive and insecure response in some of the comments.

I feel bairstow is the better bat. More natural talent and flair.

 

[therealAB]

I feel bairstow is the better bat. More natural talent and flair.

Nah Bairstow has had some major failings in his test career wrt straight balls. Don't let the last few matches district you from his (somewhat poor) body of work

 

[James]

Another big innings for him tonight.

Lots of pressure in the game, against the best bowlers he has faced so far this season.

 

[James]

Another big innings for him tonight.

Lots of pressure in the game, against the best bowlers he has faced so far this season.

He actually played quite well and showed a solid defence to survive that onslaught of fast bowling.

Needs to play a special one today and rescue England. Not fair to put it on him again, but he seems to be the best player in the team apart from Root so.

 

[MenInG]

England batter Jonny Bairstow had been in fine form against New Zealand as he registered back-to-back centuries at Trent Bridge and Headingley. He was playing an attacking brand of cricket and everyone expected the same to be the case against India in the ongoing rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston. However, this has not been the case so far, as Bairstow has been bogged down by the quality of the Indian attack. The right-handed batter has played 47 balls so far, scoring just 12.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann said that Bairstow is looking a shadow of the player who was smashing it last week as he was not facing bowling of this standard.

"Jonny Bairstow looks a shadow of the player who was smashing it against New Zealand last week. He wasn't facing bowling of this standard," said Swann while doing commentary on Day 2 of the ongoing Test for the Sony Sports Network.

Left-handed batter Ravindra Jadeja was at his best in the first innings of the ongoing Edgbaston Test as he played a 104-run knock to help India post 416 runs on the board. India were struggling at 98/5 and it was then that Jadeja along with Rishabh Pant put on 222 runs for the sixth wicket. Pant scored 146.

At stumps on Day 2, England's score read 84/5 and they are still trailing by 332 runs with Jonny Bairstow (12*) and Ben Stokes (0*) at the crease.

Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets while Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami took one each.

NDTV

 

[James]

Nonsense from Swann tbh

 

[MenInG]

Nonsense from Swann tbh

Tak Nah from Bairstow - 50* now....

 

[James]

Tak Nah from Bairstow - 50* now....

Yes was a stupid comment from Swann. He knows everything about spin bowling but close to nothing about batting. Last night Bairstow was playing himself in and surviving the tougher conditions with a morning counterattack in mind.

 

[James]

Good innings again, spread across last night and also this morning as well.

Not bad for a rubbish player who was just bashing average NZ bowlers and was about to be exposed

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Yes was a stupid comment from Swann. He knows everything about spin bowling but close to nothing about batting. Last night Bairstow was playing himself in and surviving the tougher conditions with a morning counterattack in mind.

People mistake Bairstow for Buttler and think he's a blind slogger. Unlike Buttler, Bairstow can actually take his time and be patient if the opponent's bowling is good. Bairstow is still easily the third best batsman in English team, if not second.

 

[James]

People mistake Bairstow for Buttler and think he's a blind slogger. Unlike Buttler, Bairstow can actually take his time and be patient if the opponent's bowling is good. Bairstow is still easily the third best batsman in English team, if not second.

Easily second best now. Stokes is rapidly and heavily regressing as a batsman as we speak and seems to have checked out — just playing as an Afridi type middle order slogger now.

 

[Sunzi]

Inspired from Bairstow - bit of a purple patch this. I must confess, he was on the edge of selection for me saved seemingly by the lack of quality competition dometically.

 

[James]

Inspired from Bairstow - bit of a purple patch this. I must confess, he was on the edge of selection for me saved seemingly by the lack of quality competition dometically.

They could have easily dropped him for Harry Brook but the selectors stuck by him. Their best decision in quite a while to bring him back and give him a run.

 

[MenInG]

JB's 2022:

 

[James]

Bairstow seeing it like a beachball in this form. Good to see him doing it against a quality fast bowling attack in challenging conditions as well.

 

[James]

JB's 2022:

That strike rate is ridiculous. A world class middle order Test batsman on current form

 

[Sunzi]

They could have easily dropped him for Harry Brook but the selectors stuck by him. Their best decision in quite a while to bring him back and give him a run.

Would seem so - as I say, he'd been teetering for me.

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is great viewing .. <a href="https://twitter.com/RishabhPant17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RishabhPant17</a> doing a Jonny B … <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a></p>— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1542905053912129538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

==

Indian fans didnt like this comparison!

Fair comparison I reckon!

 

[JaDed]

Too knock today playing without any issue right now.

 

[JaDed]

Fair comparison I reckon!

Pant has done it across continents, not his first time.

 

[Usman]

It won't always work. Botham was able to hammer moderate attacks, but found it harder against WI and Pakistan.

Remember that this Kiwi attack was using the strangely uncooperative current Duke balls, with just one effective bowler due to injuries, loss of form and bad selections.

Good for Bairstow, but let's not get carried away.

So the Kiwis had just one effective bowler and that explained why Johnny could play the way he did. What explains it now?

What separates Johnny from the pack is not just his awesome ability to pick the gaps and muscle the ball all over the park. It’s his game awareness. Yesterday, the ball was hooping around and any attempt to hit through the line would have likely resulted in an outside edge to the slips. So Johnny waited until the moment was right. He batted in a conventional way, ensuring that when conditions eased, he was there for his team to take full advantage. And that is exactly what he is doing now.

Contrast Johnny to Stokes - the latter seems to think that aggression means slogging. Johnny isn’t slogging at all - he’s keeping his head still and smashing bowlers right back over their heads. This man is nailing test cricket right now.

 

[James]

Pant has done it across continents, not his first time.

Bairstow has tons in Eng, SA, NZ, WI, SL, and two in Aus; one at the WACA. Only really needs one in IND to complete the set. His best score in India at the moment is 89.

Still not entirely sure what the issue is with the comparison…

 

[James]

Jonny Bairstow's last four Test innings:-

136 in 93 balls vs NZ at Trent Bridge
162 in 157 balls vs NZ at Headingley
71* in 44 balls vs NZ at Headingley
91* in 109 balls vs IND at Edgbaston

460 runs in 403 balls at an average of 230.

 

[James]

Jonny Bairstow’s 11th Test 100

5th score of 100 or more in his last 8 Test matches

Unreal

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">AN ABSOLUTE MACHINE!! <br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/PvDtqO33fw">pic.twitter.com/PvDtqO33fw</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1543575879107940352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[hk031992]

Jonny Bairstow’s 11th Test 100

5th score of 100 or more in his last 8 Test matches

Unreal

Magnificent. He is making a strong case to be in the world 11 at the moment.

 

[Saj]

Jonny Bairstow's last 4 Test innings:

106 off140 balls
71* off 44 balls
162 off 157 balls
136 off 92 balls

 

[sweep_shot]

Yet another masterclass from Bairstow.

Seems to be in Bradman-ish form.

 

[Moeey]

What an incredible player. Unreal hitting wicket has some assistance. Too good. Top 4 bat in the world.

 

[daytrader]

What Jonny Bairstow Said About His On-Field Exchange With Virat Kohli In Ongoing Edgbaston Test
The video of Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow exchanging a few words has gone viral on social media and now the Englishman has spoken about the incident.

India currently hold the advantage in the ongoing rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Jonny Bairstow, though, had threatened to take the game away from India during the England first innings. The England batter, however, was struggling initially having scored 13 from 61 deliveries and survived a few close calls. But it all changed when Virat Kohli decided to launch a few verbal volleys at Bairstow. The two bickered for a while on the field and Bairstow then proceeded to smash 93 off his next 79 balls. The video of Kohli and Bairstow going at it went viral on social media and now the Englishman has spoken about what transpired in the middle.

"We have played against each other for a solid 10 years now. It's a bit of craic. We are fiercely competitive on the field and that's what it is about. We are playing Test cricket and we are two competitors. That's why we play the game and it brings the best out of us. Whatever it takes, you want to get your team over the line and that's part and parcel of the game," Bairstow said in a video shared on Twitter by Sky Sports News.

"We're fiercely competitive."

Jonny Bairstow and Virat Kohli had an old-fashioned battle of words on day three of the fifth Test between England and India. pic.twitter.com/z3XS2JdsOG

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 3, 2022
Bairstow ended up scoring 106 off just 140 deliveries. But despite his superlative knock India took a 132-run first-innings lead with Mohammed Siraj and stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah starring with the ball.

India then extended their advantage as Cheteshwar Pujara played a solid knock to take India's lead to 257 runs at stumps on Day 3. Pujara was unbeaten on 50 with Rishabh Pant giving him company on 30 not out.

In India's first innings, Pant (146 off 111 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (104) hit brilliant centuries to help India post a formidable 416 on the board.

NDTV

 

[Robert]

Easily second best now. Stokes is rapidly and heavily regressing as a batsman as we speak and seems to have checked out — just playing as an Afridi type middle order slogger now.

This is what I feared would happen when they made him skipper. He doesn’t bowl much now so he had to produce with the bat, but is going backwards in that department, like Botham and Flintoff before him.

 

[Robert]

So the Kiwis had just one effective bowler and that explained why Johnny could play the way he did. What explains it now?
.

Not what I posted. I said Bairstow enjoyed a weakened Kiwi attack, and would find it harder against stronger ones.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Has been in exceptional form off late with 3 hundreds in 3 tests.

Should have carried on yesterday and build a partnership with Billings to reduce the deficit but the adrenaline rush got to him to hit out and he threw away of what could have been a match saving knock.

 

[Officer Barbrady]

Would it be unfair to say Root couldn’t get the best out of him? Or Butler for that matter.

 

[Moeey]

This is what I feared would happen when they made him skipper. He doesn’t bowl much now so he had to produce with the bat, but is going backwards in that department, like Botham and Flintoff before him.

Why is that? Being captain seems like a burden then. I don't think he is regressing as a batsman. Still good but yes he is not as selective with his shots now.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Would it be unfair to say Root couldn’t get the best out of him? Or Butler for that matter.

Nobody is responsible for Bairstow's current form except Bairstow himself. Rest of the team aren't doing anything different. Stokes didn't inspire Bairstow, he can't even copy Bairstow.

 

[James]

Up to 10,000 international runs.

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> Test hundreds<br> ODI hundreds<br><br>A special cricketer in all formats, <a href="https://twitter.com/jbairstow21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbairstow21</a> <br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/SEWTFNciMG">pic.twitter.com/SEWTFNciMG</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1543988741362040832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Crunch. <br><br>Scorecard/Clips: <a href="https://t.co/jKoipF4U01">https://t.co/jKoipF4U01</a><br><br>&#55356;&#57332;&#56128;&#56423;&#56128;&#56418;&#56128;&#56421;&#56128;&#56430;&#56128;&#56423;&#56128;&#56447; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> &#55356;&#56814;&#55356;&#56819; <a href="https://t.co/JoHMcJmdsj">pic.twitter.com/JoHMcJmdsj</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1543997860273745920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[James]

*55 in the latest run chase.

Jonny Bairstow, what a summer.

 

[MenInG]

What a summer Jonny Bairstow is having!

He brings up his 50 with a clip into the leg side for two.

That's five consecutive scores of 50 or more for Bairstow. Three of the previous four were centuries, and the other was an unbeaten 71 that helped England to victory over New Zealand at Headingley.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Have to admit , I never thought Bairstow would be a great test player. Always seemed a good ODI player.

However he is playing like Viv Richards atm!

Great performance again today.

 

[pillionrider]

How easily the runs seem to be coming for him. The kind of player that's difficult to begrudge their good times.

But still...

Gingerrrrr

 

[James]

Twin hundreds in the Test match victory against India. Sensational! It’s his year.

 

[James]

Bairstow has become just the 9th player to hit 4 Test 100s in England in a calendar year.

Sutcliffe - 1929
Bradman - 1930
Compton - 1947
Lamb - 1984
Gooch - 1990
Vaughan - 2002
Pietersen - 2007
Bell - 2011
Bairstow - 2022

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tons in both innings <br>Another fourth innings masterclass <br>Sees us home <br><br>When <a href="https://twitter.com/jbairstow21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbairstow21</a> goes on the attack <br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/16WZRwDQyn">pic.twitter.com/16WZRwDQyn</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1544307616557547520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Marooned]

'One swallow doesn't make a summer'

The swallow :

 

[Usman]

Not what I posted. I said Bairstow enjoyed a weakened Kiwi attack, and would find it harder against stronger ones.

India had a first choice attack, widely considered one of the best in the world. I didn’t see too much struggle from Bairstow. He is insanely talented. There’s no point trying to make out that it’s the quality of the bowlers.

 

[James]

Test average for YJB, which was seriously slipping before, has shot back up this year. Now back up to 37s. Next he needs to push it above 40 where it used to be, and keep going from there. Fantastic batsman.

 

[MenInG]

Bairstow, who was named player of the match after striking centuries in both innings, has established himself as a key player in the Stokes-McCullum setup.

Having struggled to retain his place in the team for much of his Test career, Bairstow has scored four centuries in his last five innings, with the only occasion he missed out on a ton being when he struck an unbeaten 71 as England sealed victory over New Zealand at Headingley.

The 32-year-old began last year's Ashes tour out of the team, but struck a century in the final game of the series after being recalled, and backed that up with a century during March's tour of the West Indies.

Asked to explain his recent form, Bairstow said: "Just taking all the simple things back and stripping it back to the basics.

"The last couple of years have been tough. I'm not a big fan of the bubbles, I'm not someone that likes to sit in a room and play computer games. It's been tough on me but the last few months have been fantastic.

"It's great fun at the moment. The last month has been a fantastic month of Test cricket for all the lads. You can see the smiles on all the boys' faces, how excited we are for each other when everyone's doing well, and that's a massive part of it.

"It's just about having the enjoyment factor of it. Not being afraid of failing, going out and playing that way and putting pressure back on the opposition. We're here to win games of cricket, that's what we want to do. You're going to lose games along the way if you're playing the way in which we are, but hopefully the positive brand that we're playing is exciting for people to watch, because it's certainly exciting to play in."

https://www.skysports.com/cricket/n...skipper-eoin-morgan-for-inspiring-improvement

 

[MenInG]

From latest ICC Test Batting rankings:

Bairstow helped guide England to a stunning fourth-innings triumph over India with an unbeaten 114, and now climbs 11 places to tenth in the Test batting rankings.

The 32-year-old is arguably in the finest form of his career with four tons in his past three Tests, including dual centuries in the rescheduled Test against India after reaching three-figures in consecutive matches against New Zealand.

Bairstow has 1218 runs at an average of 55.36 with six centuries in the current ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Bairstow's stunning rise reflects in the rankings – ahead of the New Zealand series, the Yorkshireman was 47th in batters' ranking with 541 rating points. Four matches and four centuries later, he has broken into the top 10 for the first time since 2018.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A shot we've seen a few times this summer! &#55357;&#56613;<br><br>Scorecard & Videos: <a href="https://t.co/42BkBOwjtP">https://t.co/42BkBOwjtP</a><br><br>&#55356;&#57332;&#56128;&#56423;&#56128;&#56418;&#56128;&#56421;&#56128;&#56430;&#56128;&#56423;&#56128;&#56447; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvSA</a> &#55356;&#56831;&#55356;&#56806; <a href="https://t.co/tJe1YLLdaT">pic.twitter.com/tJe1YLLdaT</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1549437579308990465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[James]

63 (71) at the top of the order for Bairstow today, good effort on a slow pitch.

 

[daytrader]

Jonny Bairstow: England batter still keen to play all three formats after Ben Stokes' retirement from ODIs
Jonny Bairstow: "I think it [50-over cricket] is a really good format. The journey we have been on as a group to get to [winning] the 2019 World Cup was amazing. I also think in some ways it is a stepping stone into Test cricket"

In-from England batter Jonny Bairstow says he wants to play all three formats for "as long as possible", despite Ben Stokes' recent retirement from one-day international cricket.

Stokes cited an "unsustainable" schedule as a contributing factor to his decision to retire from the 50-over format aged 31.

The 32-year-old Bairstow is one of the last remaining 'all-format' players in the England side and, speaking to Sky Sports' Michael Atherton, is keen for that to remain the case for a while yet.

"Naturally there are challenges, we've seen that over a period of time now," Bairstow said.

"We only have to look at the Tests this summer where there was a one-day squad over in Holland at the same time. Even at the back-end of this summer, there are the seven T20s in Pakistan that pretty much overlap with the last Test match [against South Africa].

"But you know me well enough to know that I will be trying to play all forms for as long as possible.

"I will be going all out for as long as I can. There might come a time that, for different reasons, you do have to make a decision but that's part of life and part and parcel of cricket.

"In the near future, I don't see myself making a choice. I love being part of all three squads."

'ODI cricket a stepping stone to Tests'
As for the schedule, Atherton along with Ravi Shastri, Mark Butcher and former white-ball captain Eoin Morgan discussed at length the "tipping point" at which the game finds itself due to the demands placed on players and the balance of power seemingly shifting from the international game to franchise cricket.

With fears that bilateral series could be most at risk, specifically the 50-over game, Bairstow stressed that he still loves the format - and warned of the risks of young players only committing to the "rollercoaster" of T20 cricket.

"I think it is a really good format," Bairstow said. "The journey we have been on as a group to get to [winning] the 2019 World Cup was amazing.

"I also think that 50-over cricket is in some ways a stepping stone into Test cricket. You get worked over for longer, you sometimes have to grind out difficult periods and play good cricket shots. The middle overs, especially are a lot like Test cricket."

He added: "There is the lure of playing in T20 leagues and making a quick buck, let's be honest about that.

"But, everything comes from your basic technique, which you learn in four-day cricket - and then you expand from that.

"Look at [Joe] Root, for instance, his technique is fantastic and then he takes that from Test cricket to 50-over cricket, to T20 cricket… and all he does is expand his game.

"I think if you try to just look at T20 cricket, it can be tricky in some ways because that is a rollercoaster that can go very quickly.

"Your bread and butter is your four-day cricket, your 50-over cricket and then your T20 cricket, make an impact in that to then go forward and enable you to have more longevity in it."

'Playing all three formats will take it out of you'
Expanding further on cricket's crammed schedule, Bairstow said: "I don't think we have a choice, do we? The schedule is the schedule.

"It's a difficult one. You want to be playing, but I think Stokesy does have a point in some ways - I mentioned about the overlapping games.

"There used to be lead-ins and training days before games but this is the first time in 11 years I have been with England that we have back-to-back games on successive days.

"They are also trying to fit in different things like The Hundred so it is tricky.

"There are going to be impacts and, if you are playing all of those formats at full intensity, it will take it out of you."

Sky Sports

 

[MenInG]

Scoring runs for fun JB!

60* at the moment vs South Africa

 

[James]

Another fantastic destructive innings from this truly irresistible force!

 

[James]

82 off 46 lol

4 catches dropped

Brian Lara Cricket on PlayStation time

 

[James]

Out for 90 off 53

Great fun

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"We've had the Natmeg, is that the ginger nut?" <br><br>Jonny Bairstow that is OUTRAGEOUS! <a href="https://t.co/B78hr5sbZ4">pic.twitter.com/B78hr5sbZ4</a></p>— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyCricket/status/1552752747950342145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

JB on his decision to skip The Hundred:

"I'm really disappointed I won’t be part of The Hundred this year. I loved it last year, but I’ve had a hectic few months with the schedule as it is and I really need to take a breather before the South Africa Test series. All the best to the Welsh Fire Men and Women - I'll be cheering you on."

==

So OK to skip your country's comp but if this was IPL...