Aggrieved Jonny Bairstow takes out frustrations in cause of England win | Ali Martin


Bairstow may have misunderstood coverage of England defeats but the opener righted a few perceived wrongs with his century

There was something utterly inevitable about Jonny Bairstow notching up a century against India, even if the celebration that followed it was, outwardly at least, less pointed than some might have expected.

In Perth, during England’s doomed Ashes campaign of 2017‑18, he greeted three figures by butting his helmet – a nod to his infamous nightclub greeting for Australia’s Cameron Bancroft at the start of the tour. And in Colombo last year, when plonked at No 3 against his wishes and shorn of his beloved Test wicketkeeping gloves, came the beetroot-faced guttural roar.

Related: Jonny Bairstow blasts critics ‘waiting for England to fail’ at Cricket World Cup

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