England Vs South Africa, 4th Test: Jonny Bairstow Annoyed After Being Dismissed On 99
Apr 6, 2019 at 2:11 PM
While there is absolutely no denying that every cricketer wants to have a record by his name, there are some records which no one wants to have by his name and Jonny Bairstow will certainly agree with it at the moment. The wicketkeeper-batsman on Saturday (August 5) became the first England wicketkeeper and only the third overall to be out for 99 when he was trapped in front by Keshav Maharaj on day 2 of the ongoing last Test against South Africa at Old Trafford.
Speaking at the post-day conference, the 27-year old admitted that he was annoyed to miss his fourth Test century by just one run but sounded happy for managing to add 66 runs to his overnight score by forging partnerships with the lower-order batsmen. The right-handed batsman, who added 50 runs with James Anderson for the last wicket, eked out as many as 110 runs with the last four batsmen.
“I’ve joined a pretty special club,” Bairstow said. “I was pretty annoyed but at the same time, if someone had said you’ll get 99 after starting on 33, you’d take it.
I kicked myself as that’s twice now I’ve got out in the 90s against South Africa,” recalled Bairstow who was bowled for 95 by Morne Morkel when South Africa toured England in 2012.
His 99-run knock, nevertheless, has put England in a commanding position as after scoring 362, the hosts have the Proteas reeling at 220 for 9 with James Anderson wreaking havoc. Bowling from the James Anderson England pace spearhead made it a memorable day for himself by dismissing reaping apart South Africa’s batting, finishing the day with figures of 4 for 33.
Bairstow, meanwhile, has been demoted to number seven in the batting order. He had started the series at number five but with England’s decision to drop a bowler for an extra batsman in the last two matches, the wicketkeeper-batsman has moved lower down the order.
Speaking about it, he said:“It’s something that you have to learn how to deal with. It can sometimes be quite difficult, trying to manipulate the strike. You’ve got to have trust in your partner. In any situation, leaving it down to the last ball to get a single off it can be quite tricky.”
The day had another memorable moment for Bairstow as he completed his 100th Test dismissal behind the stumps when he caught Hashim Amla off Toby Roland-Jones. The way he struggled in the early part of his career, Bairstow’s rise has been very impressive and the wicketkeeper is himself a bit surprised to become England’s undisputed number one man behind the stumps.
“If you had said that to me two years ago [the 100 catch mark], I’d have said no chance,” he admitted. “It’s the hard work that I’ve put in and keeping in games of cricket has moved my game on. I’m delighted to achieve that. Hopefully, there’s a couple more hundred in the tank.”