As Jonny Bairstow is gradually establishing himself in the England team with his reliable batting, iconic Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist has praised the 26-year-old Englishman by finding similarities between the two wicket-keeper batsmen.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Gilchrist asserted, “Bairstow’s clearly more settled as a batsman when he’s wicket-keeping and it’s certainly a situation I can relate to. To play just as a batsman, you can often feel a little bit half there, half not. Whereas if you’re focused on your wicket-keeping, your batting can relax and I suspect that’s the case with Bairstow.”
The former glovesman who became a trendsetter with his aggressive stroke-play, added, “He could make that position which has been a bit of a revolving door for England, he could make that his own for a while to come. He looks like a busy cricketer and a great team man.“
Also Read: Alastair Cook showers praise on Jonathan Bairstow
After beginning as a specialist batsman, Bairstow worked on his wicket-keeping skills in Yorkshire at the County circuit. When Jason Gillespie joined as Yorkshire’s Head Coach, the right-hander’s career blossomed in a noticeable manner.
As a matter of fact, Gillespie had recently compared Bairstow to his former Aussie team-mate. In a column, the 41-year old claimed, “Jonny Bairstow can do the same job for England that Adam Gilchrist did for Australia over so many years, without a doubt. Why not?”
Gilchrist credited Gillespie for transforming Yorkshire cricket with his unassuming approach. The affable 'Gilly' affirmed, "It’s no coincidence that a number of Yorkshire players have come out of that team where clearly there’s a great environment led by Jason Gillespie, where they’re real team men because Dizzy was one of the greatest.“
Bairstow has had a stellar start to the year with already three centuries to his name and would hope that the comparison with Adam Gilchrist actually grows louder.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️