"The fire burns bright and I cannot wait for the summer ahead" - Injury-free Jonny Bairstow excited for England's home season

England keeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has declared that he is ready to return to action and cannot wait for the upcoming summer. The Yorkshire batter created a lengthy Instagram post, thanking all his close ones for supporting him throughout the recovery period.

Bairstow suffered a freak leg injury before the final Test last summer, forcing him to miss several matches for England. The 32-year-old was in blistering form in the last summer, which stretched back to the beginning of the year. Bairstow smashed four Test centuries in the home season, including twin tons against India.

Taking to Instagram, he posted:

"36 weeks, 36 weeks of pain, 36 weeks of an emotional rollercoaster, 36 weeks of asking questions, you may not get answered. The road hasn't been straightforward nor easy, but hey it's me. Why would it be! Tomorrow I'll think about all those rubbish days, all those doubts and I've come through with a huge amount of strength and desire to get back to where I left off through those tricky times!"

"To all those who have there for me - surgeon, physios, and other back room staff a massive thank you! To my family and friends, I couldn't have done it without you! The fire burns bright and I cannot wait for the summer ahead."

The right-handed batter was the lone centurion during the 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia as England lost it by 4-0.

Jonny Bairstow marked his return with 97 for Yorkshire second XI:

Jonny Bairstow. (Image Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, the keeper-batter marked a thunderous return to competitive cricket last week against Nottinghamshire's second XI, clattering 97 off 88 balls, laced with 13 boundaries. Olly Stone managed to get rid of him.

While England are yet to announce their squad, Australia have named a 17-man squad, led by Pat Cummins. The Englishmen haven't held the Ashes urn since the 2015 leg on home soil. Before the Ashes begins on June 16th, England will compete in a one-off Test against Ireland on June 1st.