England's experienced wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow has not been on the selectors' radar in more than a year. The ankle injury did not do him a favour. His last appearance in England jersey was in T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal against India where he was dismissed for a duck. The Yorkshire cricketer revealed that he hasn't heard from selectors or the new white-ball captain Harry Brook. He feels that he fits into the brand of cricket Brook wants his team to play with T20 World Cup 2026 in mind.
"I am still contracted. I haven't heard too much from them, if anything, to be honest with you, but that's the part and parcel of it. Brooky (Harry Brook) came out and said that he wanted certain type of players who can take down the best bowlers in the world, and I definitely fit that mould and have done for a long period of time," Bairstow told Sky Sports.
ALSO READ: England's Smith announces retirement, says '2018 was the hardest year of my life...'
Bairstow who has had struggles with injuries said that fitness is not an issue for him. He is happy to be playing regularly and hopeful of comeback.
"So, from a fitness point of view, I have not missed a game since coming back from my ankle injury, which could have been a lot more treacherous than it has been. I am really pleased to be spending a lot of time out on the field, even with the County Championship stuff and then going into the Hundred. From a robustness point of view, I am definitely knocking about. The other bits here, the leadership side of it, have thrown at different challenges," he concluded.
Bairstow's recent form
In the County Championship Division One 2025, he has scored 595 runs from 14 innings at an average of 49.58, including five half-centuries. In the T20 Blast, he scored 116 runs against Lancashire, his highest T20 score.
Tough competition for wicketkeeper spot
In Bairstow's absence, Jamie Smith has become a regular in the Test squad. He is England's leading run-scorer in the Test series against India. From six innings in the ongoing series, he has scored 415 runs at an average of 103.75, including a century and two fifties. Also, Jordan Cox and James Rew are two other contenders. Not fitting into current setup, Ben Foakes is another wicketkeeper.
In limited-overs cricket, Jos Buttler and Phil Salt can keep wickets. Smith has been tried in the limited-overs setup as well. He scored a half-century each in the home T20I and ODI series against West Indies where England whitewashed the Shai Hope-led side.