Under The SKanner: Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow's gritty half-century played a crucial role in England’s thumping victory against South Africa in the first Test of the ongoing series. The wicket-keeper batsman’s knock of 51 revived England’s second innings and enabled the hosts to pile up a score that was beyond South Africa’s reach.

He scored vital runs with the tailenders and bailed out the home team who had, at one stage, lost seven wickets for 43 runs.

This is not the first time though that the 27-year-old has played the rescue act. In fact, since 2016, the right-hand batsman has piled up big scores in the lower order and has proved to be an essential cog in this England unit.

Bairstow scored 1470 runs in Tests in 2016 and was only seven runs behind Joe Root. Also in the same year, he scored most runs (638) at the number seven position in Tests.

Until 2015, Bairstow was identified as a wicket-keeper who could bat a bit and score some handy runs down the order. However, by scoring more than 1000 runs last year, he has cemented his place as a proper batsman.

Surprisingly, the right-hand batsman failed to have the same success in ODIs. Although he has upped the ante in 2017, his ODI record in 2016 was dismal. He scored only 198 runs in 10 innings in 2016.

Making his debut in 2012, Bairstow failed to make the most of his early opportunities. Occasional half-centuries helped him hang on to a spot in the side but the failure to notch up big scores eventually resulted in his axing. Moreover, the emergence of the flamboyant and aggressive Jos Buttler further affected his chances.

Unperturbed, the right-hand batsman continued to score prodigiously for Yorkshire, forcing the selectors to offer him another chance. The big breakthrough came in January 2016 when he scored an unbeaten 150 against South Africa at Cape Town. In the next series, he scored two more centuries against Sri Lanka and since then the runs haven’t stopped.

But what was it that made the wicket-keeper batsman so successful in 2016? Why did bowlers across the world fail to prevent runs flowing from his blade? Here we take a closer look at Bairstow's batting philosophy and technique to understand what makes him such a prolific run scorer in international cricket.

Strengths

#1 Plays spin effectively

Traditionally, visiting teams have struggled while batting on sub-continent pitches. Spin bowling has remained an unconquered territory for several English players, however, Bairstow has performed effectively against spin.

His high back-lift might indicate that he would struggle against spin but the Durham batsman uses his strengths to great effect while neutralising spin.

He uses soft hands while playing the spinners and his ability to play late allows him to ride the spin. In England’s tour of Bangladesh in 2016, he was the second highest run-scorer for his team while in the subsequent tour of India, he piled up 352 runs to finish the tour as the fourth-highest run scorer.

In that series, he scored three half-centuries in nine innings and on several occasions looked at ease while facing Indian spinners.

In the match against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 2016 when Bairstow scored 167*, Herath picked up four wickets in 36 overs. However, against Bairstow, the left-arm spinner bowled 71 balls but wasn’t able to dismiss him.

#2 Strong on the front foot as well as back foot

Playing with a straight bat and scoring runs in the V are virtues of a pure batsman. However, in swinging conditions, to accumulate runs batsmen need to play square off the wicket.

Bairstow plays some of the most glorious drives on the front foot courtesy of his impeccable technique but at the same time, he is strong on the back foot as well. His back foot stroke play allows him to cut and punch the ball in the third man and point region which generally has little protection.

Strong feet, great eyesight and solid patience make Bairstow a run machine

#3 Solid against left-arm bowlers

For a right-handed batsman, left-arm bowlers pose a heavy threat due to the angle with which they ball. This awkward angle, along with variations, makes it difficult for batsmen to score runs.

Like other right-hand batsmen, Bairstow too struggled against left-hand bowlers but since 2016 things have taken a sharp turn. His extensive homework and practice sessions have allowed him to dominate left-hand bowlers.

Since January 2016, he averages 64.66 against left-arm pacers and 50.00 against left-arm spin. Out of his 27 dismissals, only five have come against left-arm bowlers.

From the last couple of years, left-arm spinners have become an essential weapon of any bowling attack due to their variations and accuracy. However, by conquering left-arm bowlers, Bairstow has made it easy to score runs in international cricket.

Weakness

#1 Short-pitch bowling

The strong back-foot technique enables Bairstow to ride the bounce effect. However, in the past, he has looked vulnerable against balls which have bounced above his chest. The West Indies bowling unit exposed this flaw in 2012 and still faces issues whenever the bowlers bend their backs and extract some bounce from the surface.

His open stance with the left hip slightly cleared is one of the key reasons for these troubles against short bowling. This stance is effective for scoring freely but it also prevents the batsmen from getting into a proper defensive position while playing the bouncers.

Bairstow has issues against deliveries that bounce a lot or come straight

#2 Woes against straight deliveries

The Durham batsman, in his pursuit of tightening his defence against swinging deliveries, neglected working on straight deliveries. This led to a few LBWs and some catches at mid-on and mid-wicket.

While playing the straight deliveries, his bat goes ahead of his body and he loses his balance.

In 2015, Bairstow worked extensively on his flaws and changed his bat grip and position. The changed batting stance which includes a high back-lift is critical to his roaring success in 2016 but even now his woes against the straight deliveries are far from getting over.

Having a more stable stance at the time the ball is released from the bowler’s hand would help Bairstow in negotiating the straighter deliveries with better success.