England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow hit back at his critics after a blistering unbeaten 99 brought his team to a famous victory in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford on Friday.
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His highest score in an Ashes innings on home ground since 1985
Bairstow hit four sixes to help England post 592 in their first innings on the third day, their highest in an Ashes innings on home soil since 1985, giving the hosts a 275-run first-innings lead.
Australia worked hard till the end of the game
Australia fought hard to finish the game at 113–4, leaving England with a realistic chance of a win that would level the series. With two days left, England has six more wickets to take, even if the weather forecast is not favorable.
Bairstow hits out at his critics after stormy innings
Bairstow insisted that the criticism he has received from the media in this series is unfair, as he required surgery after breaking his left leg in three places and dislocating his ankle in a freak accident last September.
“There are some (catches) that have dropped. I haven’t kept wickets for three years,” he said. “And got nine pins, a plate, and a wire that went through my ankle. I had it for nine months.
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Johnny- A leg break could have ended my career
“When you talk to the surgeon and he says I’m surprised you’re walking and running, let alone playing a professional game, I’m happy to be where I am. I played a few matches for Yorkshire and then went straight into the Ashes series. A leg break could have ended my career.
“Everyone thinks I play better when people like me. It gets a bit tiring to be honest. I’ve played a lot of cricket now. Keep being told you are rubbish… If I was that rubbish I wouldn’t have played 94 Tests.”
Bairstow also discussed his controversial dismissal in the Second Test at Lord’s
Bairstow also discussed his controversial dismissal in the Second Test at Lord’s, when he was stumped by Australia as he walked out of his crease for what he thought was a dead ball – an incident which England claimed was “not in the spirit of cricket”.
“At Lord’s, I didn’t want to be where I wanted to be,” he said. “I’ve heard about it in club cricket as well, it’s not necessarily the example you want to set.
“You want to play it tough but fair. A different day doesn’t happen.”
Yet Bairstow’s innings have forced Australia to look skywards for intervention.
