BAIRSTOW BACK ON ATTACK

JONNY BAIRSTOW launched the cult of Bazball and England's forgotten man is not finished yet.

- By Mike Walters

In a Headingley greenhouse hot enough to grow tomatoes, Bairstow held court for half an hour and left little room for doubt that he does not regard the last six months of his two-year international contract as extended leave.

Dumped from the Test side after winning his 100th cap in India 12 months ago, 'Bluey' has also fallen by the wayside in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.

His last appearance for England in any format was the World T20 semi-final hammering by India in Guyana last June, which he garnished with a third-ball duck.

But England's Champions Trophy blowout with three wicketkeepers in the top six Phil Salt, Jamie Smith and Jos Buttler made Bairstow's exclusion seem all the more wasteful.

A 50-over World Cup winner in 2019 with 12 Test hundreds surely has more to offer than being left to run down his contract in exile.