Birthday special: Jonny Bairstow – Lesser-known facts about him

England’s star batter Jonny Bairstow celebrates his 34th birthday on September 26. The right-handed batter has become one of the most valuable members of the English side and has played several match-winning knocks for his team. Apart from his dominance in the international arena, Bairstow remains quite in demand in several franchise-based leagues around the world. On that note, let us take a look at some of the lesser-known facts about English batter.

5. Son of a former cricketer

Bairstow is the son of former English Wicket-keeper batter, David Bairstow while his brother Andy Bairstow also holds experience in first-class cricket.

4. Father’s death:

Bairstow was only eight when his father left him. David Bairstow was suffering from clinical depression and had committed suicide at his home in Marton-cum-Grafton, Yorkshire in 1998. After the death of his father, Bairstow’s family left Marton-Cum-Grafton and moved to Dunnington.

3. Bairstow tried his hands in other sports as well

For a good amount of time, the star English batter played a lot of sports including football at Leeds United for 7 years, rugby for Yorkshire schools, and hockey for Leeds. But later, he decided to focus on cricket and take forward his father’s legacy.

2. Awards and accolades

In 2008, Bairstow won the Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year award after he amassed 654 runs for St. Peter’s School in 2007.

1.  Impressive international debut:

Bairstow impressed everyone during his ODI match against India played at Cardiff in 2011. The home team was chasing a reduced target of 241 in a rain-curtailed match. Bairstow never looked shaky despite playing his first international match as he smashed 41 runs in just 21 balls including one four and three maximums which helped his side to win the game. He was adjudged player of the match for his scintillating performance.