Jonny Bairstow has had an inconsistent series behind the stumps, and before today a quiet one in front of them. Today he showed exactly why England value him so highly, writes Yas Rana.
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After England’s win at Headingley, Pat Cummins was asked whether or not ‘the momentum’ had shifted in England’s favour. “Not really, no” was his response. When encouraged to elaborate on his initial answer, he shrugged, smiled and reminded reporters of the series scoreline. “Two-one,” he said.
Momentum is a nebulous concept at the best of times but Cummins’ response was interesting. Punchier captains might have used the question as an opportunity to point out that the margins at Headingley were paper thin, and had a couple of moments gone the other way Australia would have gone into the nine-day gap between northern Tests with the urn retained and their focus on an overseas whitewash. Instead, he politely addressed the question and moved on as quickly as he could.
Watching England take session after session at Manchester after three Tests of exchanging blows, it’s hard to escape from the idea that the momentum has played a role here. After a miserable second day, where the wheels well and truly came off, there were questions over how quickly Australia would reassemble them. There were also questions around for how much longer England would bat on.
England happily knocked it around in the morning session without any additional urgency. The plan was straightforward enough – with rain forecast over the weekend, build as big a first innings lead as they could and if possible, turn this from a four-innings to a three-innings cricket match.
Australia were better if still a bit passive in the morning. England took 122 from the session as gaps were milked. Australia delayed taking the new ball by 10 overs, likely more worried about the rate of England’s run-scoring than taking wickets. Both sides seemed content with keeping affairs as they were, though this impasse suited one side’s goals much more than the other.
That all changed when James Anderson joined Jonny Bairstow in the middle. Australia must have been thinking that their misery in the field was coming to an end. Instead, what followed was carnage to rival what we had seen on the previous afternoon. In 49 deliveries, Bairstow (and Anderson) plundered Australia for 66 more runs. Bairstow’s sharp proactivity and clarity of plan was in stark contrast to Australia’s passivity; like yesterday, Cummins’ men looked like they were hoping for England’s rout to end rather than to actively trying to curtail it themselves.
Even with all nine fielders out on the boundary, Bairstow was ruthlessly aggressive in taking 50 off 31 deliveries. As brutal as his boundary hitting was, it was his management of Anderson at the other end that was most impressive. On more than one occasion, Bairstow scored boundaries off the final ball of an over to leave Anderson on strike at the start of the next. There was a clear plan that if Australia dug one into Anderson, England’s No.11 would sway out of the way of it and Bairstow would get his head down and scramble through for a bye before Alex Carey could throw down the stumps.
Three times Bairstow got himself back on strike without Anderson getting bat on ball. And for the third time in two days one of England’s most contentious selections was vindicated. Like Moeen Ali at three and Zak Crawley up top yesterday, Bairstow showed exactly why England have stuck to him this series despite his error-strewn performances behind the stumps.
At his best, Bairstow can change the complexion of a match in a short passage of play like few others can. He is a superb batter with the tail and his record at seven is exceptional. It is true that his errors behind the stumps have been costly already this series but, whether you agree with it or not, England place greater value on how on players change games for the better than focusing on potential shortcomings. They will have baked in that Bairstow’s keeping would be inferior to Ben Foakes’ across a series but that he would also likely give much more with the bat. They will back him to improve with the gloves as the series progresses.
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Bairstow, more so than anyone but Stokes in this England side, looks a situation in the eye and takes it on. When he gets it right it can be devastating. Not just last summer, but this summer, too. First on the opening day of the series at Edgbaston, a run-a-ball 78 that helped take England from 176-5 to a total just under 400 was lost as declaration chat dominated analysis of the first day. At Old Trafford, his unbeaten 99 that injected time into the game and extended England’s lead to what is effectively a day of Australia batting.
On what is still a flat pitch, that afternoon blitz will be diminished if his glovework is as inconsistent as it’s been at other times this series. England will need to be immaculate in the field; chances have been hard to come by and with rain set to interrupt proceedings over the weekend, time will become an increasingly pressing issue. But at his best, as he was today, Bairstow typifies the difference between the two teams when England are on top. Australia are passive, hoping that difficult moments pass them by. England are aggressive, actively trying to bend situations to their will, playing in the image of their captain.
