Jonny Bairstow says he would be “stupid” to not think an England recall is possible this year as he looks to put his name in contention with strong performances at Yorkshire.
With 100 Test caps and a World Cup winner’s medal to call his own, Bairstow is one of his generation’s most decorated players but finds himself on the outside looking in on the eve of the county season.
He lost his England shirt in all three formats last year and has not featured in a squad since the T20 World Cup last June.
But the 35-year-old, who still has six months left on the two-year England deal he signed in 2023, has not given up on finding a way back.
Asked if he was thinking of an international recall, he said: “I’m still contracted. I’d be stupid not to.
“But it’s not my choice. That bit is completely out of my control. I can load the gun, but I won’t be the one pulling the trigger. We’ll wait and see on that. You can only score the runs and put yourself into the barrel.
“The whole purpose of everything is to try and play for England, and that will be the challenge. As an exile, like it was put, and someone who hasn’t played for however long, it’s something that you want to get back to and that comes by scoring runs.
“I’ll be playing the County Championship at the start of the year, hopefully score a load of runs and let the rest take care of itself.”
It’s Team England vs Team Sky! Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton take part in a penalty shootout during England’s 2016 tour of India
A host of wicketkeeper-batters have been called up by England since Bairstow last featured, including his direct replacement Jamie Smith and the uncapped pair of Jordan Cox and Ollie Robinson.
But he has no qualms about his own CV, which boasts 23 international centuries including notable knocks against the very teams who await England in a make-or-break year of Test cricket.
“It was just mentioned around form, really,” he said of the messaging around his dropping.
Jonny Bairstow is on an ECB central contract, which is set to expire this October
“That’s obviously subjective, people’s opinions or what have you, and that’s fine. This is obviously a big summer with India, then Australia coming up.
“My numbers against those two teams, especially in England and on the last couple of tours of Australia, have been good.
“The last time India toured here, not too bad. So we’ll wait and see what happens. First and foremost my job is to concentrate on Yorkshire, and make sure we get off to a good start to the year.”
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Finland vs Lithuania: How to Watch, Odds, WCQ Preview
Finland and Lithuania face off in World Cup 2026 qualifying action. Here's everything you need to know ahead of kickoff, including how to watch Finland vs. Lithuania and odds.<!-->How to watch Finland vs Lithuania[-->Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025Time: 12 p.m. ETTV: FOX Soccer PlusStreaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App, FOX One (Try free for 7 days)Finland vs Lithuania OddsAs of Oct. 9, Finland is favored to win the match. Check out the latest odds. ADVERTISEMENT Team FormBelow are the last 5 matches for each team and the results:Finland9/7: at Poland (Loss, 3–1)9/4: at Norway (Loss, 1–0)6/10: vs Poland (Win, 2–1)6/7: vs Netherlands (Loss, 2–0)3/24: at Lithuania (Draw, 2–2)Lithuania9/7: vs Netherlands (Loss, 3–2)9/4: vs Malta (Draw, 1–1)6/10: at Denmark (Loss, 5–0)6/7: at Malta (Draw, 0–0)3/24: vs Finland (Draw, 2–2) What did you think of this story? recommended Arrow pointing to the leftArrow […]
Greyserman shares early Baycurrent Classic lead after typhoon threat
Max Greyserman fired an opening-round 67 to share the early lead at the PGA Tour's Baycurrent Classic in Japan after tee times were brought forward to avoid the potential impacts of a typhoon.Greyserman was three under at the turn, then sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the 11th to take the outright lead. He bogeyed the 12th but bounced back with a 19-foot birdie on the 15th to finish on four under alongside Bud Cauley and Brian Campbell. The American, playing in the first group at Yokohama Country Club, said the conditions were difficult but he was proud of his efforts as he attempts to put last year's heartbreak behind him.In the final round of last year's event, Greyserman held the lead on the back nine but lost out on the 72nd hole when Nico Echavarria hit his approach close […]
MLB playoffs 2025: Aaron Judge did his part, but the New York Yankees, once again, failed to win the World Series
NEW YORK — Statistically speaking, Aaron Judge had a nice day.In Game 4 of the ALDS, he went 2-for-4 with an intentional walk. His two outs were a strikeout and a 112-mph liner smoked right at the second baseman. He made a few nice plays in the field. Judge did not send one flying to the heavens — not every day is Christmas — but it was a productive trip to the office.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet he finished the evening in the same scattered fashion he has finished every year of his career. Disappointed, downtrodden, his eyes puffy and distant with the remnants of tears, his words low and tired. Once more, Judge’s Yankees did not win the World Series. The “October in the Bronx” dream is dead yet again.[Get more New York news: Yankees team feed]And as the current face of this […]
Blue Jays eliminate the Yankees, Tigers-Mariners go to Game 5 and Phillies & Cubs force Game 4 in NLDS
Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-CastThe Toronto Blue Jays are the first team to punch their ticket to the League Championship Series after knocking out the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. It’ll be the first time since 2016 that Canada’s team will be playing for the AL pennant. However, their opponent is still up in the air, with a massive Game 5 set to take place on Friday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the Blue Jays eliminating the Yankees and why the Bronx Bombers always seemed just a hair behind Toronto as the season progressed. They also discuss Aaron Judge’s Game 3 heroics and whether that single-game performance is enough to get some fans off his back about his postseason production.Also on this episode, Jake and Jordan break down the upcoming Game 5 […]
Fight legend Harrison returns on December 6, live on Sky Sports
Liam Harrison, a British fight sport legend, will return to action in ONE Championship on December 6, live on Sky Sports.Harrison will fight Japan's Shinji Suzuki in a bantamweight kickboxing contest at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The Leeds fighter is renowned for his achievements and vast experience in Muay Thai. He has now called time on competing in the small Muay Thai gloves and is making a return to the kickboxing format."A new test, a new challenge and it gave me goosebumps again," he told Sky Sports. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Is this one of the best comebacks seen in combat sports? ONE's Liam Harrison recovers from two knockdowns to win against Muangthai PK Saenchai in Muay Thai "Getting used to doing things like not elbowing obviously, not clinching, not catching kicks and […]
MLB playoffs 2025: The Phillies won a must-win game. Did the Dodgers lose one, too?
LOS ANGELES — However this NLDS plays out — whether the Los Angeles Dodgers hold on or the Philadelphia Phillies stage the comeback of these playoffs — many will point to Kyle Schwarber's 455-foot home run that hurtled through the air and over the right-field pavilion of Dodger Stadium as the turning point.Phillies manager Rob Thomson certainly did after the game, telling reporters the blast "sort of woke everybody up and got a lot of energy going in the dugout."It was an enormous home run, yes, one that seemed to fully break the Phillies out of a malaise that had so far cost them two games in the series. However, Schwarber went on to hit a second, less numerically impressive homer, and that one might be just as important because it might as well have gone on the Game 4 […]
Related
Finland vs Lithuania: How to Watch, Odds, WCQ Preview
Finland and Lithuania face off in World Cup 2026 qualifying action. Here's everything you need to know ahead of kickoff, including how to watch Finland vs. Lithuania and odds.<!-->How to watch Finland vs Lithuania[-->Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025Time: 12 p.m. ETTV: FOX Soccer PlusStreaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App, FOX One (Try free for 7 days)Finland vs Lithuania OddsAs of Oct. 9, Finland is favored to win the match. Check out the latest odds. ADVERTISEMENT Team FormBelow are the last 5 matches for each team and the results:Finland9/7: at Poland (Loss, 3–1)9/4: at Norway (Loss, 1–0)6/10: vs Poland (Win, 2–1)6/7: vs Netherlands (Loss, 2–0)3/24: at Lithuania (Draw, 2–2)Lithuania9/7: vs Netherlands (Loss, 3–2)9/4: vs Malta (Draw, 1–1)6/10: at Denmark (Loss, 5–0)6/7: at Malta (Draw, 0–0)3/24: vs Finland (Draw, 2–2) What did you think of this story? recommended Arrow pointing to the leftArrow […]
Greyserman shares early Baycurrent Classic lead after typhoon threat
Max Greyserman fired an opening-round 67 to share the early lead at the PGA Tour's Baycurrent Classic in Japan after tee times were brought forward to avoid the potential impacts of a typhoon.Greyserman was three under at the turn, then sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the 11th to take the outright lead. He bogeyed the 12th but bounced back with a 19-foot birdie on the 15th to finish on four under alongside Bud Cauley and Brian Campbell. The American, playing in the first group at Yokohama Country Club, said the conditions were difficult but he was proud of his efforts as he attempts to put last year's heartbreak behind him.In the final round of last year's event, Greyserman held the lead on the back nine but lost out on the 72nd hole when Nico Echavarria hit his approach close […]
MLB playoffs 2025: Aaron Judge did his part, but the New York Yankees, once again, failed to win the World Series
NEW YORK — Statistically speaking, Aaron Judge had a nice day.In Game 4 of the ALDS, he went 2-for-4 with an intentional walk. His two outs were a strikeout and a 112-mph liner smoked right at the second baseman. He made a few nice plays in the field. Judge did not send one flying to the heavens — not every day is Christmas — but it was a productive trip to the office.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet he finished the evening in the same scattered fashion he has finished every year of his career. Disappointed, downtrodden, his eyes puffy and distant with the remnants of tears, his words low and tired. Once more, Judge’s Yankees did not win the World Series. The “October in the Bronx” dream is dead yet again.[Get more New York news: Yankees team feed]And as the current face of this […]
Blue Jays eliminate the Yankees, Tigers-Mariners go to Game 5 and Phillies & Cubs force Game 4 in NLDS
Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-CastThe Toronto Blue Jays are the first team to punch their ticket to the League Championship Series after knocking out the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. It’ll be the first time since 2016 that Canada’s team will be playing for the AL pennant. However, their opponent is still up in the air, with a massive Game 5 set to take place on Friday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the Blue Jays eliminating the Yankees and why the Bronx Bombers always seemed just a hair behind Toronto as the season progressed. They also discuss Aaron Judge’s Game 3 heroics and whether that single-game performance is enough to get some fans off his back about his postseason production.Also on this episode, Jake and Jordan break down the upcoming Game 5 […]
Fight legend Harrison returns on December 6, live on Sky Sports
Liam Harrison, a British fight sport legend, will return to action in ONE Championship on December 6, live on Sky Sports.Harrison will fight Japan's Shinji Suzuki in a bantamweight kickboxing contest at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The Leeds fighter is renowned for his achievements and vast experience in Muay Thai. He has now called time on competing in the small Muay Thai gloves and is making a return to the kickboxing format."A new test, a new challenge and it gave me goosebumps again," he told Sky Sports. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Is this one of the best comebacks seen in combat sports? ONE's Liam Harrison recovers from two knockdowns to win against Muangthai PK Saenchai in Muay Thai "Getting used to doing things like not elbowing obviously, not clinching, not catching kicks and […]
MLB playoffs 2025: The Phillies won a must-win game. Did the Dodgers lose one, too?
LOS ANGELES — However this NLDS plays out — whether the Los Angeles Dodgers hold on or the Philadelphia Phillies stage the comeback of these playoffs — many will point to Kyle Schwarber's 455-foot home run that hurtled through the air and over the right-field pavilion of Dodger Stadium as the turning point.Phillies manager Rob Thomson certainly did after the game, telling reporters the blast "sort of woke everybody up and got a lot of energy going in the dugout."It was an enormous home run, yes, one that seemed to fully break the Phillies out of a malaise that had so far cost them two games in the series. However, Schwarber went on to hit a second, less numerically impressive homer, and that one might be just as important because it might as well have gone on the Game 4 […]
Be the first to leave a comment