Bairstow backed by Boycott to deliver on big stage

Former Yorkshire and England batsman Boycott, 71, said criticism of Bairstow’s ability to play the short ball was “grossly unfair” after the 22-year-old was dismissed by a hostile delivery from West Indies’ pace bowler Kemar Roach on only his second Test appearance at Trent Bridge last week.

Bairstow was caught at mid-on off a leading-edge after a thorough working-over by the hostile Roach, who regularly touched speeds of 90mph-plus but who will miss the rest of the tour with a shin injury.

But after some questioned Bairstow’s ability to cope with chin music, Boycott launched a firm defence of the player and predicted he would enjoy an outstanding career at the highest level.

“I don’t think Jonny has a weakness against the short ball,” said Boycott, who was at Headingley yesterday to open the new club shop in his capacity as Yorkshire president.

“It was one of the best moments of the Test match when Roach got it all together against Jonny and Ian Bell, the guy he got out before that, and I think to label him as having problems after one knock is grossly unfair.

“That was a wonderful spell of bowling because Roach was quick, aggressive, hostile and nasty.

“There are times when you have to give credit to the bowler.

“A couple of balls at the start of Jonny’s innings caused him problems, he gloved them and they could have gone anywhere, but after that he played great.

“He got high, he got deep in the crease and he played straight; he just played a bit too early at the ball that got him out, but it came up slow off the pitch and he got a leading edge.

“Jonny is very talented, he’s got star quality and I think he’s going to be fine.

“He’ll have his ups and downs, like anybody else, and he’s not the sort to get ahead of himself.”

Boycott believes England will stick with Bairstow for the final Test at Edgbaston a week today.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll play,” he added.

“This selection committee seems to have done extremely well, with the likes of James Whitaker watching a lot of county cricket, and they’ve tended to be careful about their selections and stuck with players.

“They stuck with young Broad when he had a sticky patch, and they stuck with Bell when he had a sticky period last winter.

“Last year Bell played fantastic and was probably the best player in the world, averaging 100 in Test cricket, and then he went and had a problem with Saeed Ajmal.

“My view is that most players have a problem or two somewhere in their career; that’s what playing at the top level is all about.

“Opposition bowlers give you problems and you have to solve them; if you don’t, somebody else is going to get your place.

“Jonny will get the same sort of stuff from the bowlers in the next game because that’s the nature of the sport; if people think they might get you out a particular way, they’ll give you the same again.

“Every time Bell went in during the winter they put Ajmal on because he couldn’t pick him, and as I wrote at the time, there was more chance of Bell picking his nose than there was of him picking Ajmal, but that didn’t mean Bell was suddenly a bad player.”

Bairstow has made scores of 16, 0 not out and 4 since being drafted into the Test side at the start of the summer following an injury to Essex’s Ravi Bopara, but Boycott believes that could work in his favour.

“In some ways I’m glad Jonny hasn’t had too much success at this stage,” he added.

“I’ve seen people like John Hampshire, a colleague of mine, make a hundred in his first Test, and I’ve played with a lad from Lancashire, Frank Hayes, who made a hundred at the Oval.

“People tended to think their careers were going to take off and be fantastic, but they only played a handful of Tests after that.

“It can be a millstone around your neck, and I always say that some of the greatest players of all time struggled at the start; Len Hutton, for example, made nought, but he seemed to do alright for himself.”

One player who has struggled lately is Adil Rashid. The Yorkshire leg-spinner has been dropped for the current County Championship match against Northamptonshire and Boycott believes he must go back to the drawing board.

“He’s never progressed; that’s the sad part,” said Boycott.

“I think there’s a lot of people in English cricket who have a wish to have a leg-spinner playing for England.

“But it’s not about the type of bowling, it’s about the quality of bowling.

“You can’t just pick people because they’re leg-spinners; you have to pick for quality.

“It’s up to the lad to take responsibility.”