England will not panic if they lose 2nd Test against Pakistan: Jonny Bairstow
Apr 6, 2019 at 2:16 PM
English wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has insisted that his team would not panic even after losing the second Test against Pakistan which starts on July 21 at Old Trafford. England are trailing the four-match Test series by 1-0 after suffering a shock defeat in the first Test at Lord’s.
Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Bairstow said: “I wouldn’t say panic, no, there will still be two more games to go.
“It wouldn’t be panic stations, at all, by any means.”
He added: “We’ve got to go out there and put the record straight. We were slightly behind the eight ball pretty much all the way through. It’s a case of going out there, expressing ourselves and really just going out and attacking the challenge.”
James Anderson, Ben Stokes, and Adil Rashid have been recalled in the 14-man squad for the second Test.
‘Fourteen into 11 doesn’t go so there’s going to be some desperately disappointed guys that miss out for those spots come Friday morning,’ said Bairstow.
‘I’m just trying to concentrate on training and hopefully getting in that final 11 for the game on Friday. It shows the strength in depth that we’ve got throughout all three formats of the game.’
Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah wreaked havoc on the English batsmen at Lord’s. The batsmen looked completely clueless against Shah on a surface which was providing little help to the spinners. The leg-spinner ended the match with 10 wickets to his name.
Bairstow said the team are working on plans to counter Shah’s deliveries.
“We gave him some soft wickets at Lord’s. It will be a good challenge,” the Yorkshire played added.
“There’s no reason why we can’t go into Old Trafford, into Edgbaston, and into The Oval and nullify that threat.”