England should send an SOS to former England keeper Jonny Bairstow according to one UK scribe, who believes the 36-year-old is the best option available to bat at number three.
On the verge of a series defeat heading into the third Test at Adelaide, England need a spark, which has led to UK Cricinfo editor Andrew Miller offering up the left field selection of Bairstow, which would sure to add plenty of juice to the series.
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Current first drop Ollie Pope has been dismissed cheaply on a few occasions across the first two Tests as has several others in the visitors’ top order.
According to Miller, not only has England’s batting been ordinary, but the team are also lacking passion as a potential 5-0 series whitewash looms.
Bairstow was at the centre of one of the most controversial and hostile Ashes moments of all time when he left his crease during the second Test at Lords and was stumped thanks to a heads up play by Australian keeper Alex Carey.
If Bairstow earns a shock call up for Adelaide, expect fireworks.
“The number three that we haven’t spoken about and the one that England need to throw in at Adelaide is Jonny Bairstow,” Miller said.
“England need passion, England need fight, England need someone who is going to be furious at the state of the world.
“He will tee off, but not recklessly. He has the street smarts to react to situations and has the inner fury that his team needs.”
It’s been 21 months since Bairstow played in his last Test match (v India in March 2024) but Miller says England desperately need “something from someone”.
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“He’s the ideal lieutenant if it’s basically a leadership coup with Root and Stokes driving the agenda. Get Jonny Bairstow in there,” he continued.
“You can start banging on about moral victories and start ramping up all of the Carey crease-gate stuff. Who cares? It’s crisis mode now. England need something from somewhere and they need passion and they need proven ability to score runs in Australia which he has.
“Throw him in. Lay your cards on the table. I mean Jacob Bethell, Ollie Pope, Will Jacks or Jonny Bairstow at number three? It’s an absolute no-brainer.”
The third Test gets underway in Adelaide on December 18.
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