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Former England captain Nasir Hussain has admitted that the Ashes 2023 fourth test at Old Trafford in Manchester will be a big game for struggling goalkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Noting that Bairstow looked “a bit disoriented” in the Third Test at Headingley, Hussain added that the 10-day break between the Third and Fourth Tests was absolutely necessary for him.
Bairstow started his Ashes 2023 campaign with a quick 78 in the first innings of the opening Test at Edgbaston. However, he scored a highest score of 20 in his subsequent five innings. He also struggled with the glove, dropping a number of catches.
Despite his troubles, he has been retained for the playing eleven for the 2023 Fourth Ashes Test, which begins at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, 19 July. Bairstow.
“There’s no escaping the fact that it’s a big game for Bairstow. It’s true that England stuck with him, and he often hit back when he had a point to prove,” he wrote.
He asserted that the break would have helped the batter, and added that Bairstow looked out of shape at Headingley.
Hussein explained:
“The 10-day break is going to do him a lot, because he looked a bit scrambled at Headingley. When he was batting, his lower hand started to come a little hard because he was nervous, letting Harry Brook on short leg which was a natural thing for him to go for. That told me it was his confidence a bit low.”
Urging Bairstow to be positive, the 55-year-old continued:
“Johnny is at his best when he’s positive, with bat and gloves. He has to go every catch and bat with an attacking mentality. He’s the type who reads everything and likes to prove people wrong. England will be stronger if he shoots all the way through.”
Bairstow, 33, is a veteran of 93 Test matches in which he scored 5,623 runs at an average of 36.51, with 12 hundreds.
“Stokes has set an example that others might want to follow.” – Hussain
In his column, Hussain also praised England captain Ben Stokes for leading from the front and reading the game situations so well. He pointed to the fact that amid all the ‘Bazball’ talk, he admonished Stokes when needed and urged the other England players to take a cue from their leader.
he wrote:
“At Lord’s and Headingley he restrained himself for a while, then played his shots – they were excellent examples of reading the situation. England have had a year establishing this mentality and it has generally served them well. But Stokes has shown there is room for caution too.”
Stokes is the second-best home run bowler in the 2023 Ashes, scoring 309 runs at an average of 51.50.
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