England’s Test coach, Brendon McCullum, has expressed support for out-of-form batsman Jonny Bairstow, backing him to play in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi.
Bairstow has struggled with the bat in the series, managing only 102 runs in six innings at an average of 17. He had a particularly tough time in the third Test in Rajkot, scoring 0 and 4 as England suffered a heavy 434-run defeat, falling behind 1-2 in the series.
I’m sure Jonny will come good- Brendon McCullum
In a statement quoted by The Telegraph the day after the third Test, Brendon McCullum expressed his support for the struggling Bairstow.
I’d anticipate Jonny would be playing, yes. He’s not scored the volume of runs he would have wanted and a couple of times he’s got out kind of mildly for someone who’s got the power game Jonny’s got. I don’t have concerns over him. I’m not blind but he’s done so well for us and he’s had such an impactful career,” McCullum said.
McCullum added,
We know that a top quality Jonny Bairstow is as good as anyone in any conditions so from our point of view we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise as well and keep him really present and focused on what he’s trying to achieve and I’m sure Jonny will come good.”
Jonny Bairstow was one of the early beneficiaries of what came to be known as the “Bazball effect” in world cricket, notably scoring four centuries in eight innings following the formation of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes partnership. The Yorkshire-born cricketer is on the brink of playing his 100th Test match and has scored nearly 6,000 runs at an average of 36.45, including 12 centuries.
Spend a bit of time with Jonny and remind him that he’s such a wonderful player- Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum announced that he would dedicate more time to working with Jonny Bairstow during the demanding Indian tour to assist him in rediscovering his top form. Since recovering from a leg injury in the middle of last year, the experienced batsman has managed just three half-centuries in 15 innings.
It will just be spending a bit more time with Jonny to be honest. We’re a long way from home and India can be a tough place to tour, well anywhere can be, so to spend time with Jonny. He’s such a talent and has done some incredible things for us. Yeah he’s a little bit different, we all know that, but that’s in a good way. If we were all the same it would be pretty bloody boring,” said McCullum.
Brendon McCullum emphasized the importance of spending time with Jonny Bairstow to remind him of his exceptional talent and to ensure he’s enjoying himself, rather than solely focusing on performance outcomes. He added,
So to spend a bit of time with Jonny and remind him that he’s such a wonderful player and not to do it because you’re trying to get a performance but you want to spend time with him because he’s a good bloke and you want to make sure he’s enjoying himself. Everyone is so quick to chop and change and if that’s the case there’s little conviction in what you’re doing if you’re prepared to keep moving the goalposts then how do you get buy-in from your players into a squad.”
Jonny Bairstow has found it challenging to perform in Indian conditions in Test cricket, averaging under 26 in 11 innings. England are facing a must-win situation in the fourth Test in Ranchi, starting on Friday, February 23, to keep their chances of winning the series alive.
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