“Jonny Kept really well throughout”-Brandon McCullum shows confidence on Jonny Bairstow

England’s right-handed wicketkeeper-batter, Jonny Bairstow, came under fire after England’s loss to Australia in the first Test of the Ashes series 2023. Jonny Bairstow, though looking good in the first innings of the Australian team, caught an absolute screamer to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne on duck. He threw his body towards the right, widening his right hand, and took the catch, but after that, he missed nearly three chances in the upcoming days while taking the guard behind the wickets. The first was of Cameron Green, who was charging down the stumps but missed the ball completely. Bairstow couldn’t hold his nerve and failed to stump him. That small mistake made Green score some significant runs for his team.

Another two chances that were not carried by Jonny Bairstow were those of Alex Carry, who contributed a fifty in the first innings of Australia that closed down the lead of England to just 7 runs, which somehow affected England negatively, and eventually they ended up on the losing side of the first Test after Test 1. Jonny Bairstow faced a lot of heat from the fans, though he was not that much better behind the wickets this time, but the head coach of England’s cricket team, Brandon McCullum, backed him strong because he knows how hard it is to be behind the wickets, as he once did wicket-keeping for his team in tough English conditions.

“They were pretty tough mistakes. I’ve kept over here before, it’s not the easiest place to keep. I actually thought Jonny kept really well right throughout. If you look at the way he progressed throughout the game, he found a natural rhythm. We know what he offers with the bat, him coming in at seven is a real weapon for us,” 

Brandon McCullum said after the Test 1

Read More: Ian Healy wants fine on Ollie Robinson