Jonny Bairstow has finally finished his epic winter’s work and revealed his excitement at settling down with Test cricket this summer under the man he looked up to as a player.
As powerful, all-action wicket-keeper batsmen across all formats there are obvious comparisons to be made between Bairstow and Brendon McCullum who set the bar during his career for New Zealand.
And Bairstow admitted he would be picking McCullum’s brain when it comes to making the late switch from T20 blaster in the Indian Premier League to middle order maestro as England will expect for the first Test at Lord’s this week.
And it is the Test arena where a surprisingly fresh looking Bairstow is hoping to make a significant mark as England try to start the Ben Stokes and McCullum era with a bang. “There is excitement there with Brendon in charge of the Test side,” said Bairstow. “Because of the blend of how he played his cricket and his coaching style and how that all fits together. There will be comparisons between us but I also think it is slightly different as well. Going from the IPL back to here, he is someone I looked up to.
“When I started my career, he was someone who was unbelievable at what he did. So I’ll definitely be trying to pick his brains on a few bits but at the same time going out and playing my game and my way. People know my desire to play for England, my desire to play Test cricket. That is something that I really want to be doing, and so there are things you are going to have to miss out on.”
It was in Test cricket over the winter that Bairstow enjoyed his best moments scoring England’s only Ashes hundred in Australia and then grabbing another in the West Indies. The five Tests were bookended by 17 T20s at the World Cup and the IPL, which means he will somehow need to tap into that red hot red ball form to show McCullum exactly what kind of quality he has got in the dressing room.
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“There’s a bit of tinkering to be done, but I feel good to be honest,” said Bairstow. “I’m happy with where my body’s at physically and my movement was good in the nets. Hopefully that’s now the end of bubbles, which is an exciting thing as well because that gives you an added amount of freshness, to be able to do some more normal things.
“I’m delighted with how I have come out of the winter and the way I played in Test cricket. I was happy with the situations and circumstances that I scored my runs. When you have to get the hard runs, they are the rewarding runs. When you have to score the tough runs and stand up for the side. That’s the bit I was most proud of.”
Unlike Bairstow, the IPL switch will come too late for New Zealand bowler Trent Boult who reached Sunday’s final with the Rajasthan Royals and is a late arrival. “It’s part of the world and the way it is right now,” said head coach Gary Stead. “The schedules are complex.” Henry Nicholls is also likely to miss out after recovering from a covid infection which has now also laid England bowler Ollie Robinson low.
