Jonny Bairstow is not ready to accept his England “exile” is a permanent arrangement, relying on big runs at Yorkshire to put his name back in contention.
With 100 Test caps and a World Cup winner’s medal to call his own, Bairstow is one of his generation’s most decorated players but finds himself on the outside looking in on the eve of the county season.
He lost his England shirt in all three formats last year and has not featured in a squad since the T20 World Cup last June.
But the 35-year-old, who still has six months left on the two-year England deal he signed in 2023, has not given up on finding a way back.
Asked if he was thinking of an international recall, he said: “I’m still contracted. I’d be stupid not to.
“But it’s not my choice. That bit is completely out of my control. I can load the gun, but I won’t be the one pulling the trigger. We’ll wait and see on that. You can only score the runs and put yourself into the barrel.
“The whole purpose of everything is to try and play for England, and that will be the challenge. As an exile, like it was put, and someone who hasn’t played for however long, it’s something that you want to get back to and that comes by scoring runs.
“I’ll be playing the County Championship at the start of the year, hopefully score a load of runs and let the rest take care of itself.”
A host of wicketkeeper-batters have been called up by England since Bairstow last featured, including his direct replacement Jamie Smith and the uncapped pair of Jordan Cox and Ollie Robinson.
But he has no qualms about his own CV, which boasts 23 international centuries including notable knocks against the very teams who await England in a make-or-break year of Test cricket.
“It was just mentioned around form, really,” he said of the messaging around his dropping.
“That’s obviously subjective, people’s opinions or what have you, and that’s fine. This is obviously a big summer with India, then Australia coming up.
“My numbers against those two teams, especially in England and on the last couple of tours of Australia, have been good.
“The last time India toured here, not too bad. So we’ll wait and see what happens. First and foremost my job is to concentrate on Yorkshire, and make sure we get off to a good start to the year.”
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