Jonny Bairstow, a fast wicketkeeper who can also bat, was criticised for a terrible job behind the stumps in the first Ashes game at Edgbaston.
But England coach Brendon McCullum has backed the bowler, who has been in trouble for the rest of the series.
Marnus Labuschagne was out for a golden duck in the first game for Australia. Jonny Bairstow caught a one-handed stunner to get rid of him. Even though he was big and strong, the wicketkeeper missed three easy chances in the next few rounds. The first of these was a legal stumping chance by Cameron Green, who went on to play a key inning for the Aussies.
He also dropped his opponent Alex Carey twice during Alex Carey crucial innings in Australia’s first inning. If Bairstow had kept those chances, the game might have turned out better for the home team. But the England coach felt sorry for Bairstow because he had played wicketkeeper for the New Zealand team in tough English circumstances.
“Those were pretty bad errors. I’ve stayed here before, and it’s not the best place to stay. I thought Jonny held up really well the whole time. If you look at how he got better as the game went on, you can see that he found his own pace. After the first test, Brendon McCullum said, “We know what he can do with the bat, and him coming in at number seven is a real weapon for us.”
Brendon McCullum is sure that Moeen Ali will be ready for the Lord’s Test. The finger injury of senior all-rounder Moeen Ali is a big worry for the Three Lions because they don’t have a ready-made replacement in the team. But McCullum is hoping that Moeen will be better by next week, when England plays Australia in the second Test at Lord’s.
“Moeen did a wonderful job. He’s happy to be back playing Test cricket. Stokesy and all the boys deserve credit for making the team a fun place to be. I hope he’ll do better at the next one. I’m pretty sure that we’ll be able to fix Mo’s finger in the next few days, which will allow us to pick him for the next game,” he said.
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