England’s Jonny Bairstow said that he aims to continue playing in all three formats for as long as he can.
Bairstow is one of England’s prime all-format players (Courtesy: Reuters)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Bairstow is one of the key all-format players for England
- The wicketkeeper said he wants to play all three formats for as long as he can
- Bairstow also opened up about his happiness seeing crowds return to stadiums.
England’s in-form batter Jonny Bairstow has said that he will not be retiring from any format of the game in the near future.
The comments from Bairstow come after Ben Stokes decided to retire from ODI cricket last week, citing an unmanageable schedule. Stokes will continue in Tests and T20s.
The wicketkeeper is one of the main all-format players available for England and is in high demand for all the three teams.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Bairstow said he will be trying to play all three formats for as long as possible and said he loved being part of all three squads.
“Naturally, there are challenges. But I’ll be trying to play all the formats for as long as possible.”
“There might be a time when, for different reasons, that you do have to make a decision, but in the near future I don’t see myself making a choice. I’ll be going all out for as long as I can.”
“I’m loving being a part of all three squads. They are all different in themselves and it is great to be a part of each one. It is exciting. There is a freshness when you go into each one, there are new faces and a new energy because it is a new format,” said Bairstow.
The England wicketkeeper also opened up about the return of crowds to the stadiums, with the relaxation of Covid protocols. He said that he didn’t enjoy being cooped up in hotels and said that it is great to be revved up by the crowd.
Bairstow said that he feeds off the energy from the fans in the stadiums.
“I do feel good. There’s definitely a difference now whether it is coming out of the back of Covid. I hated Covid.”
“I wasn’t someone who enjoyed being cooped up in a hotel. Not being able to see my friends and family and go out for dinner and do the normal things.
“I didn’t like being stuck in a hotel room. I’m not a gamer that’s not me. So to be able to come back and get revved up by the crowd is great.
“I feed off the crowd’s energy and my personality has been able to come back out. I’m loving everything about it at the moment,” said Bairstow.
— ENDS —