Adamant in approach and not shying away from telling the truth, England wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow revealed he would not have made it to the Three Lions 16-member squad for the impending Ashes 2017-18 if the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) selectors would have had only considered his glovework.
“Your glovework is your number one thing that you’re judged on, but if you’re averaging 10 or 12 or 20 then all of a sudden because you’re doing that, your glovework gets notched down,” Bairstow was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
Somewhat similar to what unfolded for Bairstow after donning the white jersey back in 2012, and it took him one-and-half-year to get the gloves when his predecessor Matt Prior discarded after the Ashes 2013-14.
Bairstow also hailed James Foster (Essex) and recently retired Chris Read, who represented Nottinghamshire in the domestic fold.
“They’re still the two best glovemen in England, there are no qualms about it in my opinion,” Bairstow added.
With views already divided over the selection of the wicketkeeper-batsman in the Australia fold, the hosts’ selectors are keenly observing the contenders in the ongoing JLT Sheffield Shield four-day domestic competition.
“In England especially, they’re wanting you to be batting at five and six and churning runs, as well as keeping – it’s almost like an allrounder’s spot,” Bairstow stated.
Soon after the completion of the first three rounds of the Shield domestic, the national selectors will be announcing the eagerly-awaited Ashes squad before hosting the first of the five-match Test series on November 23 in Brisbane.
“Even just recently, you had Jos [Buttler] that kept, myself and Sam Billings. So there are three guys there that could be keeping at any point,” Bairstow further added.
Across the cricketing globe, the Magellan Ashes has already grabbed the headlines with England team sweating it out in Australia after landing in Perth on October 29.
It is pertinent to mention that, as many as three glovemen have been discussed by the selectors which include incumbent Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill, who discarded last year.
“So they might go for someone who’s a seven out 10, or a six out of 10 (as a keeper) because it just gives them a bit more balance,” Bairstow revealed.
On the other side, the 26-year-old Alex Carey and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, who represents Western Australia, is subsequently waiting in the wings.
The former cricketers are also throwing support behind Nevill, the predecessor of Wade, as the latter has been tipped to retain the spot even after struggling with the bat.
“But I’m sure that it won’t be the first time that these (Australia) guys have been through it,” Bairstow asserted.
However, concurrently Bairstow is focusing on his game, before shouldering the responsibility behind the stumps for England in a gruelling series.
Bairstow also reflected on the improvement of Peter Handscomb, who has shown a great character while donning the white jersey and scoring runs for Australia.
“I think it’s very individual, because the balance between how much it takes out of you compared to how much you’re still in the game,” Bairstow concluded.
The left-handed batsman Wade had been unimpressive with the bat even in the domestic circuit. In last 10- first-class fixtures, Wade scored 328 runs at an average of 23.43.
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After making his international debut in 2011, the 28-year-old Yorkshire-based Bairstow made his appearance as a specialist batsman for the national fold.