‘The more pressure, the better’ – Bairstow defends IPL call after top innings

Yorkshireman’s 136 off 92 balls was the target of the hosts’ five-wicket victory on the final day at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

This is Bairstow’s ninth Test century and his third in 2022, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead in the series, including a match at Headingley’s home ground from 23 June.

But after facing criticism over his decision to leave the country early in the season to play in the IPL, the 32-year-old admitted that he felt his call was appropriate.

“A lot of people were saying I shouldn’t be in the IPL and I should be playing county cricket,” Bairstow said. But you are playing against the best players in the world in IPL.

“It’s important to be able to keep those gears running, to be able to switch them up and down. People say that it would be great if you had four games of red ball cricket under your belt.

“Unfortunately, this does not happen in the current schedule of everything and we are very lucky to have been able to play against some of the best players in the world.

“The more pressure you can put on yourself, the better.

“Because whatever situation you have gone through in the past, be it IPL, one-day cricket or red ball cricket, you can call it evening.

“Those opportunities and the environment, for better or for worse, are things
[mean]

You were able to perform as a group in this game, in the last game and hopefully they will continue to do so. “

Bairstow added that he is a big fan of the long-form version of the game and said: “I am proud to be the first and foremost to play Test cricket for England.

“I am very proud of the fact that sometimes you have to stand up when the chips are down.

“The person you were born with may be something inside you that comes out of you in those moments. But as a cricketer I am proud.

England are expected to make a clean sweep of the three-Test series when they meet again at Headingley next week.

His visitors will have to wait angrily for Michael Bracewell, however, after the all-rounder has tested positive for COVID-19, meaning he will already need five days off.