England batter is more spontaneous than most top sportspeople and reaching 100 caps is a magnificent milestone
This has not been the finest series of Jonny Bairstow’s career but it ends with a wonderful landmark: his 100th Test. He becomes only the 17th Englishman to reach triple figures, and despite that success, I feel if anything he is probably a bit underestimated.
I have always rated him as a player, from the very early days when he first broke into the Yorkshire team and started putting excellent innings together, often in difficult conditions when the ball was moving around. In my eyes he is a proper batter who can play in all formats. His form in 2022, when he scored six of his 12 Test hundreds, showed what he is capable of when he feels happy and relaxed, has the backing of a supportive dressing room, and finds the right balance between accessing the emotions that help him to motivate himself, and retaining the clarity of thought to choose the right shots and execute them.
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