Opening the batting with Tom Banton, who was removed for 11, Bairstow built a 34-run stand with James Vince in a 173-run chase at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Just when it seemed like England were settling into the innings, Vince and Joe Denly were both removed in the sixth over, leaving the visitors in trouble at 51/3.

Bairstow, however, found a reliable partner in Sam Billings – England’s newly appointed T20I vice-captain – as the duo added 61 runs for the fourth wicket. Billings was bowled by Brett Hampton for 28, with England at 112/4 in 12.5 overs.

[caption id=”attachment_125335″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Bairstow scored an unbeaten 78 off just 45 balls[/caption]

Bairstow looked in sublime touch at the other end, particularly as he smashed Blake Coburn for three consecutive sixes in the 16th over. He registered his fifty in just 36 balls, taking England past 150 with his counter-attacking knock.

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He finished with 78 off just 45 balls, with six fours and four sixes, as he took England past the finish line with six wickets and eleven balls to spare. Sam Curran, who hit the winning runs with a six, also impressed with an unbeaten 28 off just 15 balls.

Bairstow, who was left out of the Test squad after underwhelming Ashes series, made a strong case for his reinstatement with his performance at the top of the order. “I [want] to naturally score as many runs as possible, that’s what’s going to be the key to winning games,” he said after the game.

"The best years of Jonny Bairstow the Test batsman could yet be ahead of him. Let’s hope he doesn’t waste them worrying about who’s wearing the gloves."@Jo_Wisden dissects Bairstow's axing from England's Test side.https://t.co/4vznhYZALE

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 23, 2019

“I’m not going to be going out there thinking ‘let’s get some low scores’, you want to go out and get as many runs as possible. Selection is gone now, I’ve got some things to work on, I’m working very hard and I’m really enjoying that challenge.”

Tom Banton, Saqib Mahmood and Patrick Brown, all of whom received their maiden national call-ups after impressive returns in the T20 Blast, failed to impress against New Zealand XI. While Banton was dismissed for an eight-ball 11,  Brown and Mahmood gave away 74 runs between them, picking up just one wicket.

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Bairstow, however, is not too fussed about their performance, and believes they will come good soon. “This won’t be the perfect performance from them, there’s bound to be nerves, bound to be bits that they’ll want to improve,” he pointed out.

“It’s a huge effort to be running in and trying to execute your skills the first time you’ve played for England, so I thought they did really well.”