Jonny Bairstow strode to the middle, chest puffed out, in Bristol to an enormous reception, a reflection of the impact of his golden summer.
By the time he was done, England’s victory in the First T20 felt all but assured, although South African rookie Tristan Stubbs did his best to spoil the party. Bairstow had fallen 10 runs short of joining Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan and Heather Knight as English cricketers with a century in each format, but he had added another chapter to a storied summer.
