Jonny Bairstow shines for Yorkshire on comeback

Seasoned batter Jonny Bairstow made an emphatic return to competitive cricket as he carved out a majestic knock for the Yorkshire’s second XI against Nottinghamshire’s second side. Coming to bat in the middle-order, Bairstow compiled a steady 97 off 88 balls in the first innings at Headingley in Leeds.

For the uninitiated, Bairstow sustained multiple fractures to his left leg during a freak golfing accident in September 2022. With this, the batter was ruled out of the third and final Test against South Africa, England’s T20 World Cup winning campaign in Australia, and the bilateral series against Pakistan and New Zealand.

Moreover, Bairstow was set to play for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2023 but decided to pull out of the competition in order to focus on his return to red-ball cricket. Following the lengthy lay-off, the 33-year-old cracked 13 fours and two maximums in his 88-ball stay as Yorkshire concluded the opening day contest in a strong position at 437/7.

He was quite nervous: Yorkshire’s second XI coach

Making his first appearance in 241 days, Yorkshire’s second XI coach, Tom Smith, stated that Bairstow was quite ‘nervous’ upon his return to competitive cricket. However, he added that the batter was raring to score big and hit the ground running for his side.

“He was a little bit nervous this morning, it was like his debut again. He had a little chat with the lads this morning and it was quite funny – he said ‘just watch it on the running’. But his first run, he sprinted a single, and we had a chuckle to ourselves,” Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“He’s been keen as mustard to get out there playing cricket after such a long time off. He was gutted to get out, no matter what form of cricket he’s gutted to get out – but he was happy with the way it went. Getting runs being out there in the middle, he was chuffed to bits,” he added.

Bairstow is likely to feature for Yorkshire’s first team against Glamorgan, which is scheduled to be played on Thursday, May 4, at Headingley in Leeds. He will also be gunning to make his return to the England setup for the eagerly-anticipated Ashes 2023, which starts on June 16.