Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow is a fine batsman and wicket-keeper for England, especially in the limited-overs formats. He has the ability to bat anywhere in the batting order, but can create the most damage at the top spot.

He is one of those players who like to keep working on their keeping skills. But, because of his excellent outfielding skills, he usually finds himself manning the boundary ropes. He is yet to find a way to score big runs in Tests like he does in the shorter formats. Apart from his cricketing skills, he is also a good footballer and a rugby player. He has even played for the Leeds United youth team.

Jonny Bairstow - Along the Years

Records

Domestic or T20 and T10 League Records

1. Became the only Yorkshire cricketer to score more than 1000 runs in a domestic season in 2011.
2. Highest individual score (84*) in Abu Dhabi T10 League.
3. First wicket-keeper to score a century for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL.

International Records

1. Became the only English wicket-keeper to claim nine dismissals in a Test match twice.
2. Has the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a calendar year (70 in 2016).
3. Has the most Test runs by a wicket-keeper in a calendar year (1470 in 2016).
4. He is the first England cricketer to score 3 consecutive ODI hundreds.

Career

Domestic career

He played for the Yorkshire second XI in the early stages of his career. His brilliant performance in 2008 earned a call-up to the first team. In a span of the next two years, he had cemented a place in the side.

He averaged over 40 in 2010 as well as 2011 but was not able to reach the three-figures mark in various attempts. However, he reached a landmark in 2011 by scoring 1000 runs in a year and thus becoming the first Yorkshire cricketer to do so. The fact that he was selected to play for the England Performance Programme squad in Australia helped him become a better batsman.

He immediately made it to the England ODI side in the same year.

International career

Bairstow made his international debut in an ODI against India on 16 September 2011 at Cardiff. The Indian cricket team batted first and posted 304 on the board in their 50 overs. There was a stoppage in the match because of rain and the target was revised to 241 in 41 overs. Jonny had a good outing as he scored 41 runs off just 21 balls to seal the match for the home side. England won the match by 6 wickets with 10 balls to spare. The debutant got the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his quickfire innings.

He made his T20I debut just a week later against the West Indies on 23 September 2011 at The Oval in London. The visitors were bowled out for 125 before the hosts chased down the target with 10 wickets in hand and 28 balls to spare. Bairstow, who did not get a chance to bat, shared his T20I debut with Ben Stokes, who also did not get a chance to bat or bowl.

Jonny’s Test debut also came against the West Indies at Lord’s on 17 May 2012. He scored 16 in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 0 in the second as England chased down the target of 191 runs on the fifth and final day of a low-scoring Test match.

With fine performances for the national squad, he was selected to play for England in the 2012 ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka. He played 5 games in the tournament and could manage only 38 runs before they were knocked out in the Super 8 stage.

England’s tour to New Zealand in 2013 was his first where he was a part of the squads of all three formats of the game. However, he kept wickets for England in a Test for the first time in the 2013/14 Ashes series. However, he was left out of the England setup for the next year and a half.

In 2015, he scored his maiden Test century (150*) and combined with Ben Stokes (258) to register a record sixth-wicket partnership of 399 runs. This innings ensured that Bairstow could keep his place for a few matches to come and can play with freedom without worrying about his spot.

He kept scoring at a good rate and also performed well with the gloves. He earned a place in the ICC World Test XI for 2016. In 2017, he scored his first three hundreds in the ODI format, six years after his debut. In 2018, he also earned a place in the ICC World ODI XI.

He was then selected as an opener in the ICC World Cup 2019. He scored 532 runs in 11 games and served justice to the opening spot. He scored hundreds against semi-finalists India and New Zealand. He was at the top of the aggressive England batting line-up that led to their first-ever World Cup victory at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

IPL and PSL career

Bairstow was picked up by Peshawar Zalmi team before Pakistan Super League 2017/18. He is still a part of the franchise. However, he is yet to play a game in the tournament.

In November 2018, he participated in the Sharjah T10 League representing the Kerala Kings. He scored 84 runs off 24 balls, thus registering the highest individual score in the tournament so far.

The Englishman got the first taste of the Indian Premier League in 2019. The Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Bairstow for INR 2.2 crores even though he was going to leave the tournament midway for the World Cup preparation camp.

He did not disappoint the team management and the fans. He was the highest run-getter for the Hyderabad-based franchise after David Warner. While Warner was in a different league altogether and scored close to 100 runs more than the second-placed KL Rahul. Therefore, Bairstow was the SRH’s best batsman after the exceptional Warner.

Also see - Jofra Archer Biography

Jonny scored 445 runs in 10 innings at an average of 55.62. His brilliant strike rate of 157.24 was another highlight of his run in the tournament. He also registered a century against RCB, thus becoming the first SRH wicket-keeper to do so.He is believed to be a part of the same team in IPL 2020, if available.

Family

Jonny was born to David and Janer Bairstow in Bradford, West Yorkshire. His father David Bairstow also kept wickets for England in 25 international games. His half-brother Andrew Bairstow was also a wicket-keeper for Derbyshire at the First Class level.