ENG vs NZ: Jonny Bairstow consoles Jamie Overton

The duo of Jamie Overton and Jonny Bairstow jailed out their team from a tricky position as they went on to stitch a 200+ runs partnership and took England’s score from 55/6 to 296/7 during the third and final Test match being played between the home side and New Zealand.

To note, Bairstow and Overton were involved in the highest seventh-wicket partnership by an English pair in Tests, beating a 62-year-old record of 197 runs by Mike Smith and Jim Parks against West Indies in 1960.

English batter Bairstow continued his good form after scoring another century and his partner Overton also scored a 97 but could not manage to complete his hundred and was left disappointed after getting scalped by the Kiwi pacer Trent Boult. Bairstow was then seen consoling Overton and patting his back as the batter trudged back to the pavilion before soaking in all the applause from the crowd and his teammates in the balcony.

‘Those three runs don’t change any of that’ – England Cricket wrote on Twitter

“Hold your head high, Jamie. Sensational innings and a record-breaking partnership when we needed it most. Those three runs don’t change any of that. #ENGvNZ,” England Cricket wrote on their official Twitter handle.

Even after Overton got out, Bairstow continued his batting masterclass as he got out after reaching 162 runs and stroking 24 boundaries in the process. The right-handed batter is in some exceptional form as he played a match-winning knock in the second Test too and scored 136 runs off just 92 balls. He has now opened up about his conversation with head coach Brendon McCullum and critics talking about his form.

“There is sometimes a lot of rubbish spoken about a lot of different things. Sometimes it gets into your mind and clutters it; sometimes you have to just flick it. You have to listen to the people that matter to you and right now I am doing that. The most important thing is me being me. Literally, all Brendon (McCullum) has said is ‘go and impose yourself on the game,” Bairstow said to Sky Sports.