England’s home run ends but Jonny Bairstow’s brutal brilliance goes on | Andy Bull

The Yorkshireman’s relentless ODI form saw him compile a 10th century in the format in which he is one of England’s finest

The England men’s last match of the summer started with a slash, a catch, a cuss and a quick apology. Jason Roy threw his bat at Mitchell Starc’s opening ball and sliced a drive straight to backward point. In the silence of the empty ground, the curse he shouted out as he stomped into the dressing room came through loud and clear on the effects microphone. “Sorry for the choice language,” added Mike Atherton. It got worse. Joe Root was lbw to the very next delivery, so England were nought for two. Eoin Morgan was in now, while Jonny Bairstow waited at the other end, yet to face.

The usual thing to do in this situation would be to wind things in, the received wisdom says that when a team are two down without so much as a run on the board they ought to re-evaluate, retrench, and start slowly rebuilding the innings. Bairstow had other ideas. In the next over, he pounced on a rare full delivery from Josh Hazlewood and hit it crisply through extra cover for four. An over later, he hit Hazlewood for four more, square through point this time. Then, when Morgan took a three, Bairstow found himself squaring up to Starc for the first time; he was swinging it in, fast and full.

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