Jonny Bairstow intends to show England he still possesses the batting ammunition to merit an international recall.
Bairstow, 35, was the godfather of Bazball three years ago, firing out the runs that rejuvenated the Test team at the start of a new era under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
However, despite still having six months of a central contract to run, he remains frozen out, having been placed in cold storage after winning his 287th cap at the Twenty20 World Cup midway through 2024.
Since then, uncapped wicketkeeper-batsmen Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox and Ollie Robinson have been chosen for Test squads while England took to the field with three glovemen in their top six during their disastrous, recently-concluded Champions Trophy campaign in Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Smith.
‘As an “exile”, someone who hasn’t played for however long, it’s something that of course you want to get back to,’ Bairstow, speaking at Yorkshire’s pre-season media day, said.
‘I’d be stupid not to. The whole purpose of everything is to try and play for England, and that will be the challenge for the whole group. Everyone wants to go on and do that.
Jonny Bairstow was the godfather of Bazball after a stunning run back in the summer of 2022
England have moved on to numerous glovemen with Jamie Smith preferred in the Test side
Ben Stokes’ side face a crucial 2025 with the visit of India before an Ashes tour to Australia
‘It’s not my choice. I can load the gun, but I won’t be the one pulling the trigger. We’ll wait and see on that. My first focus is to score runs and get Yorkshire into a position to be challenging in every game that we’re in.’
Asked whether he had heard from the England hierarchy, which in addition to McCullum includes the ECB’s director of men’s cricket Rob Key, Bairstow declined to answer. Draw your own conclusions.
When he was dominating opposition bowling attacks as he was in 2022, sparking a huge resurgence in the five-day game and winning England’s player of the year award on the back of four hundreds in six Tests, an average of 75.66 and a strike rate of 96.59, it would have been hard to envisage such an influential figure being cast aside.
Even after suffering the horrific leg break that left him fearing he might not walk properly again, Bairstow wowed packed houses, striking a memorable unbeaten 99 the following July that helped England push towards an Ashes victory before the Manchester weather intervened.
It felt natural when a matter of just weeks later, he was one of the recipients of the ECB’s multi-year deals, yet on Tuesday he stressed he was no longer in control of that side of his future and would be concentrating on those of which he was.
As Mail Sport reported on Monday, he is expected to be named Yorkshire’s County Championship captain this week, following in the footsteps of his late father David.
So his immediate focus will be on the opening block of seven first-class matches starting next Friday.
But Bairstow continued: ‘This is obviously a big summer with India, then Australia coming up.
Bairstow refused to reveal whether he had been contacted by England’s senior hierarchy
Bairstow has not played a Test in over a year and hasn’t featured for England at all since June
‘My numbers against those two teams, especially in England and Australia, have been good. The last time India toured here, not too bad. We’ll wait and see what happens.’
Indeed, Bairstow’s 114 not out alongside fellow centurion Joe Root three summers ago hurtled England to a record Test chase of 378 to defeat India at Edgbaston.
He has also struck hundreds on each of his past two Ashes series down under.
In terms of Test cricket, England moved on from the Yorkshireman following an underwhelming tour of India last March, but he has made a career of proving people wrong – including those who questioned whether he would ever be match fit again in the aftermath of his freak golf course accident in 2022.
‘Whether it’s county cricket, playing in any competitions abroad, playing in the IPL, playing two World Cups in the first year back, along with seven Tests or whatever it was, I’ve not missed a single game since coming back from it, so you can take from that what you wish,’ he concluded.