Bairstow opens up on fear of never being able to walk again during injury

LONDON: England batter Jonny Bairstow said that he feared never being able to walk once again after breaking his leg in three places last August, which saw him miss some Test action and the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, which his side won. Bairstow's recovery from the awful accident he endured while playing golf came full circle on Tuesday.

After missing six Tests and England's T20 World Cup victory, the 33-year-old was reinstated to England's squad for the first Test against Ireland ahead of the Ashes.

Bairstow's outstanding 2022 season was cut short by the accident. In Ben Stokes' first summer in charge, his 681 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 75.66 saw him emerge as the symbol of an exciting new type of cricket.

A recall was after returning to competitive cricketing action with Yorkshire last month. However, there was some concern for the individual himself. The months spent gradually rebuilding were fraught with anxieties and concerns.

He was initially thought to be fit enough to fulfil his IPL contract with Punjab Kings, which added to his frustration throughout his lengthy rehabilitation period.

Aside from cricket, there were concerns that daily life would never be the same again. "You wonder whether or not you will be able to walk again, jog again, run again, play cricket again," Bairstow said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"Absolutely, those things do go through your mind. It depends on how long you think about them. There are many different things, until you get back to playing, well... you wonder, is it going to feel the same?" added the batter.

Bairstow said that the injury changed his gait. "It is quite funny, people have said, 'You are limping'. Well, I do not know anyone that has had a major lower leg injury that does walk exactly the same as previously. There are going to be little limps, there are going to be aches, pains, that is part and parcel of it. Whether it is knees, hips, ankles, lower back, whatever it is," said Bairstow.

"When there is trauma, there is going to be an adaptation to the way that your body moves or your body walks, that is just part and parcel of it. I am not going to be running exactly the same as last year, but that's okay," added the batter.

The batter has dismissed concerns that his left leg will hamper his ability to play as a wicketkeeper for England in the coming summer, for the first time since 2019. Since his return to county cricket, he has been behind the wickets for almost 300 overs, spread across matches against Durham and Glamorgan.

He will represent Yorkshire in the T20 Blast at Edgbaston this weekend, before training at Headingley before joining the England squad ahead of the Ireland Test.

He said "no comment" on being asked if it involved a return to the golf course as part of a mooted team retreat to Scotland ahead of their international cricket summer.

"I do not think it is (wicketkeeping) different to fielding - when you are sprinting, changing direction. You are squatting at the stumps and moving laterally, but you are not running at 25ks to the boundary. So, it is a different kind of fitness - the old legs and glutes are a bit stiff after that first day in the dirt but it is part and parcel of it," said Bairstow.

"That first second XI game (against Nottinghamshire before his return to 1st XI cricket), I kept 100 overs in the game. The last two Champo games - it has been building nicely. A day off, train, train, train. It has been back-to-back and there has not been any reaction. If it swelled up, you know there is something wrong. So it is positive."

Bairstow's relationship with the gloves is an intriguing tale that should not be forgotten. Jonny's late father, David, kept for England, and it has long been a source of pleasure that he has done the same for Yorkshire and England in 49 of his 89 caps.

"I am excited. It is going to be a new challenge again because it is obviously something I have done quite a bit, but then there are periods when you do not do it as much because you are playing as a batter. Or playing white-ball cricket or whatever. It is an exciting challenge that awaits," said Bairstow

While it is unclear whether he will be able to recreate his 2022 exploits with the added burden of the gloves, Bairstow points to his outstanding year in 2016. In 17 matches, he amassed 1,470 runs and 70 dismissals, both of which are records for a Test keeper in a calendar year. He believes it exemplifies why his value as a keeper-batter versus Foakes, usually considered as the greater gloveman, cannot be overstated.

"That was an amazing year. That was very special, keeping and batting. They are the things you draw upon when people ask if you can do it, absolutely, there's past history. I was at No.7 too."

"That was the whole role - the selectors wanted someone at seven who were able to bat with the top order but also be able to score runs with the tail. You do not need to be a genius to work that bit out. Someone like Adam Gilchrist changed the way keeper-batsmen were viewed. He was not the best keeper in Australia - he was the best keeper-batter in Australia then won games of cricket for Australia on the back of how he went and played. And MS Dhoni...you can go through the whole world and look at people who are better keepers, better batters and it is then a combined thing that then comes into it," added the batter.

Bairstow admitted to having a big sense of satisfaction when McCullum informed him of his selection. Following the hardships of the winter, a new chapter has begun.

"I was buzzing. It filled me with a lot of pride again. I have said there's been some dark times this winter and it has been tough so to get that phone call after all the emotions you go through and everything else this winter...there is a huge amount of pride that goes into it. Yes, getting that phone call...it was awesome," concluded Bairstow.

England on Tuesday announced their squad for the Test against Ireland which will be played from June 1 at the Lord's in England.

Ben Stokes will lead the 15-man squad with right-hand batter Ollie Pope named as the vice-captain.

England's squad has gained strength with the return of wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who was out of action since August last year after a golf accident left him with a broken left leg and dislocated ankle.

Jofra Archer will be another notable absentee after being ruled out for the remaining summer with a recurring stress fracture to his right elbow. Making a return are fast bowlers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, the latter coming back to the Test squad for the first time since March 2022.

If selected in playing 11, it will be his first Test on home soil in the last two years. It will only be the second Test between the two nations and will be a four-day affair.

Interestingly, the first one, played in 2019 was also a four-day affair, which England won by 143 runs. With the home Ashes against Australia beginning on June 16, England will be looking forward to getting some game time before facing their arch-rivals.

Squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.