Bairstow Returns to Yorkshire in Bid for England Recall
Dropped England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow is set to play for Yorkshire in their County Championship clash against Sussex this week, providing a platform for the 34-year-old to stake his claim for a return to the national side.
The White Rose, currently third in Division Two, will host the league leaders at Scarborough from Thursday. Bairstow, who has not featured for Yorkshire in any format this year, will be hoping to impress with a strong performance following his recent exclusion from the England team.
The experienced batsman was omitted from the squad for the recent series win against the West Indies and has not been selected for the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka. This comes after a difficult period for Bairstow, who returned from a serious leg injury last year and has since struggled to recapture his best form.
Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson, however, believes Bairstow still has what it takes to earn his place back in the England side. "I spoke to Jonny, and he still has ambitions of getting back into the England team," Gibson told the club website. "When he was coming back from his injury last year, our medical team and coaches, everybody associated with the club, helped him get back into the England fold."
"If it's that we need to do that again with him, give him some love and get him into a position where he puts good performances in, everybody benefits from that. Jonny Bairstow is a serious cricketer anyway, but when he has a point to prove he's even more dangerous," Gibson added.
Bairstow, who has played 100 Test matches for England, has previously stated his desire to return to the national team. After a brief appearance in The Hundred for Welsh Fire last month, he told BBC Sport: "All I want to do is play for England."
This week's County Championship fixture presents a prime opportunity for Bairstow to showcase his skills and potentially earn a recall to the England squad. With the top two teams in Division Two securing promotion, Yorkshire will be looking to Bairstow to contribute significantly to their push for a top-two finish.
