Good on him
After being fast-tracked back into the team following his recovery from a serious leg injury Bairstow’s performances, particularly as wicketkeeper, have attracted some criticism across the summer. But here he took a brilliant catch to dismiss Mitchell Marsh in Australia’s first innings and followed that with an excellent, aggressive performance with the bat.
“Everyone thinks I play better when people have a go at me. It gets a bit tiresome, to be honest,” he said. “To keep being told that you’re rubbish … well, if I was that rubbish I wouldn’t have played 94 Tests. There have been a couple [of catches] that have gone down. I’ve not kept wicket for three years. I’ve got nine pins, a plate and a wire that goes through my ankle. I’ve had nine months out. When you speak to the surgeon and he says, ‘I’m surprised you’re walking, never mind playing professional sport,’ I’m delighted to be where I’m at.
“You don’t know how bad it’s going to be. It could have ended my career, that’s exactly how bad it could have been. There’s times there’s aches and pains. People say you’re limping, well I am at times, because there’s a lot going on in the ankle. I’ve had criticism for pretty much all of my career. I’ve completely switched off from everything.”