Jonny Bairstow, the England wicketkeeper-batter, has shared stories of his challenging time in September 2022. He had a nasty accident playing golf which resulted in a broken left leg and a dislocated left ankle.
This unfortunate incident meant he was unable to compete in the T20 World Cup that year. He was already included in the team. This setback halted his rising Test career. Why? He had just received the honour of being the Test Cricketer of the year.
In a conversation with The Telegraph before his milestone 100th Test against India in Dharamshala on Thursday, he marked it as his toughest hurdle yet. Interestingly, he learned from the doctors that the severity of his injury was ‘bad’. But it was not until his relentless recovery efforts that they disclosed its potential to end his career.
“To get back from that, to get through six Test matches keeping wicket and batting as I did [last summer], just a few months after that injury. I know people will talk about how I performed, they can do that. But I was so proud to do that. I didn’t know if I was going to make it back,” Bairstow said in the interview,” he said.
Jonny Bairstow
He added:
“There were some dark days that winter. That whole journey was horrible, but Megan was amazing. To have been playing so well, to do something playing golf, walking down a bank, so innocently. To get injured so badly that it puts you out for that long. I questioned myself a lot at that time. I wondered what I had done to deserve it.”
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow stated that he returned to the site of his injuries to overcome his fear as well.
“I walked straight past that spot and down a slightly less steep bank. I needed to get over my demons before I can get closer.”
Bairstow averaged 66.31 in 2022, got 322 runs at 40.25 in 2023, but has only managed 170 runs at 21.25 in 2024.
“You want to leave the game in a better place for the next person” – Jonny Bairstow
Bairstow also discussed growing up watching Test cricket highlights, rather than One-Day cricket, after returning from school and learning from the greats of English cricket.
“To now become part of an amazing group of players who have played 100 Tests for England is very exciting. So many of that list are heroes of mine. You want to leave the game in a better place for the next person who comes through, and provide memories for fans. It’s going to be an emotional week. I want to enjoy the occasion, and try to put on a show with the lads for the amazing fans that follow us around the world.”
Jonny Bairstow
Bairstow will become his country’s 17th player to reach 100 Tests.