'I'd be stupid to think England career is over': Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow keeping Ashes dream alive

He lost his England shirt in all three formats last year and has not featured in a squad since the T20 World Cup last June.

But the 35-year-old, who still has six months left on the two-year England deal he signed in 2023, has not given up on finding a way back.

Asked if he was thinking of an international recall, he said: “I’m still contracted.

"I’d be stupid not to.

“But it’s not my choice. That bit is completely out of my control.

"I can load the gun, but I won’t be the one pulling the trigger. We’ll wait and see on that.

"You can only score the runs and put yourself into the barrel.

“The whole purpose of everything is to try and play for England, and that will be the challenge.

"As an exile, like it was put, and someone who hasn’t played for however long, it’s something that you want to get back to and that comes by scoring runs.

“I’ll be playing the County Championship at the start of the year, hopefully score a load of runs and let the rest take care of itself.”

A host of wicketkeeper-batters have been called up by England since Bairstow last featured, including his direct replacement Jamie Smith and the uncapped pair of Jordan Cox and Ollie Robinson.

But he has no qualms about his own CV, which boasts 23 international centuries including notable knocks against the very teams who await England in a make-or-break year of Test cricket – notably India and Australia.

“It was just mentioned around form, really,” he said of the messaging around his dropping.

“That’s obviously subjective, people’s opinions or what have you, and that’s fine.

"This is obviously a big summer with India, then Australia coming up. My numbers against those two teams, especially in England and on the last couple of tours of Australia, have been good.

“The last time India toured here, not too bad. So we’ll wait and see what happens.

"First and foremost my job is to concentrate on Yorkshire, and make sure we get off to a good start to the year.”

The World Cricketers’ Association, meanwhile, has issued a stark warning about the future of international cricket, calling for defined windows in the calendar, fairer distribution of wealth and an overhaul of leadership.

The global players’ union has published a wide-ranging review, six months in the making, taking in the views of current and former professionals, administrators and commercial stakeholders.

It concludes the increasing stranglehold of T20 franchise cricket is putting the “chaotic, inconsistent and confusing” international schedule “at genuine risk”. The WCA calls for four distinct international windows, alongside divisional structures for all three formats.

Ben Coad interview: Page 21.