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Jonny Bairstow is not ready to accept his status as England’s forgotten man and remains determined to revive his international career, according to his Yorkshire coach Anthony McGrath.
Bairstow found himself edged out in all three formats last year and despite having a central contract that runs until October, it is almost eight months since he last represented his country.
An injury to Jacob Bethell ahead of the Champions Trophy might have opened the door for a player whose powerful hitting helped England to World Cup glory in 2019 but despite a dreadful run of results in India the selectors instead brought another wicketkeeper-batter, Tom Banton, in from the cold.
At 35, time is running out to force a change of heart among the selectors but Bairstow is known as one of the most driven players on the circuit and his ambitions continue to burn bright.
McGrath’s first season back at Headingley would be made a lot easier with a player of Bairstow’s vast experience at his disposal, but he has not given up on wearing an England shirt again.
“Having Jonny with us at Yorkshire would be transformational, he improves everything we do on and off the field, but he still has ambitions to play for England,” McGrath told the PA news agency.
“International cricket always takes precedence and that is still on his radar. You only get one career and Jonny is determined to get back in. Not to prove anyone wrong but just to show people what he can still do at the highest level.
“From speaking to him, I know that is definitely at the forefront of his mind. My job is to support him and help him be the player he wants to be.”
Bairstow has spent the new year in South Africa’s SA20 competition with Joburg Super Kings but his next move remains unclear.
He had planned to take up a lucrative deal in the Pakistan Super League but was not cleared to play as a result of a change to the England and Wales Cricket Board rules on overseas leagues.
Bairstow is understood to be extremely frustrated at missing out on that opportunity while still being overlooked by England, but still harbours hopes of being picked up as a replacement player in the Indian Premier League – which enjoys a unique status with the ECB.
If the call does not come he could find himself back in the County Championship, spearheading newly-promoted Yorkshire’s Division One hopes and building his case with first-class runs.
“It can change weekly, Jonny’s not in the IPL at the moment but injuries happen. If we do see him it would be absolutely huge for us as a club,” McGrath said.
“I know how much playing for Yorkshire means to him with his history here. Any time he is here, it’s a game changer.
“Whenever he does finish with England, which happens to everyone at some point, he has a decision to make about what comes next.
“I had Sir Alastair Cook when I was with Essex and when he came to an end with England, the plan was to play for one more year. He ended up playing four.
“From a selfish point of view, something like that would be brilliant for us, but he’s still a relatively young man and he has a lot options.”
