Jonny Bairstow has defended his decision to play in the Indian Premier League instead of the early stages of the County Championship after blitzing 136 runs off 92 balls on the final day of the second Test against New Zealand to swing the game in England’s favour and earn himself the player of the match award.
Bairstow returned to England on 23 May following his stint with Punjab Kings in the IPL, giving him just 10 days to reacclimatise to red-ball cricket and prepare for the start of the Test summer. He then scored one and 16 in the two innings of the first Test at Lord’s and eight in the first innings of the second, before clicking spectacularly into form in the final two sessions of a dramatic Test at Trent Bridge.
