Jonny Bairstow reveals he had no idea England would declare on 393-8 on a thrilling first day of the Ashes… but Aussies claim they knew it was coming
Jonny Bairstow #JonnyBairstow
Jonny Bairstow admitted he had no idea that England captain Ben Stokes would declare on the first day of The Ashes with England 393 for eight and Joe Root unbeaten on 118 after an enthralling opening day of the series.
‘We didn’t know anything about it,’ said Bairstow after his 121-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Root rescued England from 176 for five to 297 for six before Bairstow was stumped for a run-a-ball 78.
‘I’m sure he (Stokes) had a couple of conversations with Brendon (McCullum) and the relevant bowlers but one of them was out in the middle so there can’t have been too many that knew about it and I definitely wasn’t one of them.
‘It was a scramble to get the old tape and pads on but to be fair, when you’re not expecting something, it’s the best form of attack,’ Bairstow added.
Against New Zealand in February, England declared in the first innings and went onto lose and Australia’s openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja survived the four overs before close.
Jonny Bairstow made an important 78 on the first day of the Ashes on Friday
He admitted to having no idea that Ben Stokes would declare in the evening with England 393-8
And Bairstow insisted that even though he wasn’t aware, the declaration came as no surprise.
‘I’m sure there’s many decisions Ben (Stokes) has made that have taken commentators and people by surprise, but it was no surprise to us,’ he said.
‘Having played the game for as long as we have, we’re aware a 20-minute slot for an opening pair is something that’s not very nice. It can be a bit niggly. It was a decision Ben and Brendon made, in conjunction with the bowlers.
‘But it’s a shot to nothing – you can walk off and there might be an unbelievable ball or a loose shot in there.
‘We come back in the morning with a ball that’s four overs old, a fresh bowling attack and team that is really looking forward to the challenge.’
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood insisted that the declaration came as no surprise for the tourists.
‘No, not really (a surprise). Once Joe (Root) got his hundred and they were playing a few shots, I sensed it was coming – that’s sort of the way they’re playing their cricket at the moment,’ said Hazlewood.
And Bairstow was full of praise for his Yorkshire and England teammate Root who scored his 30th Test century, much to the delight of a full-house in Birmingham.
The England captain gave his bowlers four overs at the Australian openers, but they did not find a breakthrough
Josh Hazlewood ‘sensed’ the declaration was coming as Joe Root went through the gears
‘It was brilliant, really special. As someone who’s known him for a really long time, been through thick and thin, ups and downs, been through lots of different things together. It was an absolute pleasure to be out there with him,’ said Bairstow.
‘He is a fantastic player. He loves batting, loves being out there, loves the occasion, loves representing his country. That’s hopefully the first of a few through this summer’
For Bairstow himself, it was an emotional moment to be in the middle after a severe leg injury last September.
‘You remember those tricky times you went through – those dark days when the sun goes down at half-three in England – those time are the ones you look back on and you’re pleased you did the graft that no-one saw to get you back in this position – To be out there in the middle and represent your country in an Ashes test.’
Share or comment on this article: