"I think it is the right call" - Michael Atherton on England giving gloves to Jonny Bairstow ahead of Ben Foakes against Ireland
Former England captain Michael Atherton has backed the decision to give the gloves to Jonny Bairstow instead of Ben Foakes for the Ireland Test. The former opener commented that Bairstow has become indispensable, given his performance last summer.
England, on Tuesday, announced their 15-member squad to face Ireland in a one-off Test at Lord's, starting on June 1st. While the likes of Bairstow, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood made the list, there was no place for Ben Foakes.
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In his column for Sky Sports, Atherton defended the debatable call as Bairstow has made himself undroppable from the side.
"I think it is the right call and I think that is the minority view from testing the water on social media. The problem for wicketkeepers is only one person can do the job and Foakes, of course, is an outstanding wicketkeeper and he has done pretty well for England. But Jonny Bairstow, the way that he played last summer, Brendon McCullum had said that once he is fit he is going to get back into the team."
The 55-year-old also neutralized the notion that the Yorkshire batter should open the innings, explaining:
"Some people are saying he should open but he is not an opener, he has opened once in first-class cricket and has never opened in Test cricket. He has proven himself to be an outstanding wicketkeeper-batter in the years he did it. He did it in 49 Test matches for England but hasn't done it really since 2019."
Bairstow was in scintillating form during the 2022 summer, striking four centuries, including two against India at Edgbaston to help India achieve their highest run-chase in the format. The 33-year-old was also the only centurion for England during the 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia.
"It is not the last of Ben Foakes" - Michael Atherton
Atherton also declared that Foakes will come back into the mix should anything happen to Bairstow. He added:
"The silver lining for Ben Foakes is that he is very much there should anything happen. If Bairstow gets injured then Foakes comes in clearly and England's next tour after the Ashes is to the sub-continent and they might go for a different balance of the team there with two of three spinners maybe in the team. It is not the last of Ben Foakes I am sure and he has proved himself to be a top-class keeper when he has played."
Soon after the Ireland Test, England will compete against Australia in the Ashes.