Looking ahead to next year’s World Cup, both Adil Rashid, a teammate of Bairstow’s at Yorkshire, and Alex Hales of Nottinghamshire have opted to sign white-ball only contracts with their counties, removing any possible opportunities to make the England Test side.

However, Bairstow, who is fighting to establish his name in England’s white-ball teams alongside his current Test position, believes that his exploits in Test cricket will be what people remember when his career comes to an end.

The England keeper had been involved throughout the winter of cricket down under prior to being sent home to rest during the T20I Tri-series against Australia and New Zealand. The T20 side is the only one he is yet to establish a consistent place in.

But Bairstow is well aware that players need rest in the modern international game, with fixtures coming thick and fast. “I kept for a thousand overs in the Ashes, 6,000 balls before we even practised. Trev knows his players and he made the right call to say we needed a couple of weeks back home,” he said.

“You have to be managed, it’s not feasible to play every game and train every day, otherwise you get complete burnout of the squad in two years because of the amount we play.”