Gillespie: Bairstow ready for Ashes recall

JonnyBairstow-Cropped

Jason Gillespie believes Jonny Bairstow is ready for an England recall ahead of next week's third Ashes Test.

Having won the first Test by 169 runs, England slumped to a miserable 405-run loss at Lord's, with their top order again failing to fire.

Bairstow's Yorkshire team-mates Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance have come in for particular scrutiny. Lyth scored just seven runs at Lord's while Ballance contributed scores of 23 and 14.

Meanwhile, Bairstow has been in stunning form for Yorkshire, scoring 139 against Worcestershire -  his fifth County Championship century this season - as England were collapsing at Lord's.

And Yorkshire coach Gillespie - a front-runner for the England job before Trevor Bayliss was appointed, wrote in The Guardian: "Jonny is in a very special place right now.

"His average in the championship this summer has just tipped past 100 with that innings and, given the opportunity, I know he would take it with both hands.

"It is important that those people who don't watch much county cricket don't pipe up with opinions based on his past experience in Test cricket because we're talking about a different beast right now."

Bairstow has a Test average of 26.95 from 14 matches and put up only 49 runs in his two outings in the previous Ashes series in Australia, a performance Gillespie blames on too much tinkering with his technique. 

Gillespie added: "When he returned to Headingley after the 2013-14 Ashes tour, Jonny said he had received plenty of well-intentioned advice regarding his technique and after some conversations we came to the conclusion this had inadvertently created more confusion in his mind.

"So we made a pact: the Yorkshire coaches - myself included - agreed we would not speak to him about his method and instead judge him solely on his returns. 

"Ultimately we have backed Jonny to take responsibility for his own game and the results are there to see. He no longer sweats the small stuff and is enjoying his cricket, which is something we emphasise heavily at Yorkshire.

"An Ashes series will be a step up in the quality of bowling he will face, no question, but he has had a taste and is now hungry for more."

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