Follow UsJonny Bairstow’s return from injury put the Three Lions in a precarious position on whether they would drop one of the best wicketkeepers in the country, Ben Foakes. As it turned out, Bairstow slotted straight back into the setup, replacing Foakes, a decision that fit perfectly like a glove on day one.
But on day two, opportunities went down, when Bairstow missed a relatively straightforward stumping when Cameron Green walked out to the crease. Not just that, a few times in the day too, Bairstow’s untidy work behind the stumps was the talk of the town.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin gave his opinion on the debate, stating that it was a ‘big decision’ from England not to include Foakes in the setup. Alongside that, the wicketkeeper-batter also suggested that Bairstow could have walked into the setup at the expense of Zak Crawley.
“Jonny Bairstow demanded he come back into the team with how his performances have been of late. It looks like no one wants to open – Zak Crawley hasn’t done a great deal at the top of the order, there could have been a spot up there for a batsman to have Foakes in the team, but they’ve gone that way,” Haddin told The Age.
“I’m a Foakes fan, I think, one, his glovework is elite, and two he gets runs when they need them, he’s a typical keeper that scores runs under pressure. It’s a big decision, especially with the amount of nicks and how influential the keeper can be in English conditions, to not have your best gloveman,” he had to add.
On the other hand, opposition wicketkeeper Alex Carey made a huge impact with the bat after Australia found themselves in trouble. The left-handed batter got to another Test half-century and showed some solid batting technique against a threatening English bowling attack en-route.
Haddin, who has worked closely with Carey insisted that having a ‘clear game plan’ really has allowed for the southpaw to flourish on a day where his contribution was invaluable.
“There were some tough conditions to bat in in India, and he was trying to get a game style that suited him,” Haddin said. “But the one thing he did well back in Australia with the bat is (that) he took the game on and looked like he had a really clear game plan, the way he wanted to play here.
“I think that game plan will be very similar in the UK, where he’s had success in the white-ball form with the bat. Kez (Carey) in India – that’s as well as I’ve seen an Australian keeper keep in those conditions. I thought his glovework was world-class.