What does Foakes' success mean for Bairstow?

Foakes and Bairstow in England training

Ben Foakes this morning completed a marvellous debut century before falling for 107, and his immediate success has already raised questions about another key players role, Jonny Bairstow. Having held the gloves for England for the past couple of years, he is normally regarded as indispensable to the team, until now.

As I write, Foakes has already showcased his superb keeping by stumping Chandimal and taking a good catch to dismiss Akila Dhananjaya, cementing his credentials for the rest of the series. So how does Bairstow fit in?

It has been a turbulent past year for Bairstow, and his test form has clearly suffered as a result. The comical headbutt saga with Cameron Bancroft was more embarrassing than anything, and his broken finger this summer triggered a slump in form against India, making 3 ducks in his last 6 test innings. His most recent injury playing football has only compounded the problems for him and come at a terrible time when his place is gently coming under scrutiny.

Since a phenomenal 2016 in which he averaged 58.80, Bairstow’s steady decline has seen him average 34.32 in 2017 and a lowly 26.89 in 2018, a worrying trend. In his last 13 test innings he has only passed 50 twice, including that barren run of three ducks mentioned previously, and has developed a new habit of being bowled.

His ODI form has been nothing short of a revelation, becoming the first man to 1000 ODI runs this year including 3 consecutive centuries over the summer. Some have highlighted how his more open technique in the shorter forms has crept into his test batting, and it has clearly contributed to his new tendency to expose his stumps. In 12 innings against Pakistan and India, Bairstow was out bowled 6 times.

Part of the problem for Bairstow has consistently been the question marks about his role in the team, particularly his position in the batting order where many have called for his elevation. His record at 5 is unspectacular, averaging 29.43 without a century in 28 innings, raising questions about whether it has been a good move for him. Earlier this summer, fellow Yorkshireman Geoffrey Boycott damningly stated that Bairstow isn’t good enough to bat 5, and on recent form I think it’s hard to argue with him.

All these uncertainties have seen him float up and down the order, unsettling his batting and the approach he should take. Batting at number 5 clearly puts pressure on him to tame his natural aggression, and we so often saw him play horribly loose shots early in his innings against India, most notably his wayward drive first ball at the Rose Bowl.

These struggles still wouldn’t have seen Bairstow dropped for the Sri Lanka series, but his football injury and Foakes grabbing his chance have now raised important questions of how England will line up in the second test. As things stand, England look on track to go 1-0 up in the series, and changing a winning team is a difficult thing to justify.

His success opening in the ODI team have led many to call for him to open in tests, but it seems unlikely that England will change their new look opening partnership. In the middle order, Moeen, Root and Stokes are the vital components and the two allrounders balance the side perfectly. Jos Buttler looks like a shoe in at 6 and played well in the first innings, and Foakes and Curran have more than justified their selection at 7 and 8.

As a result, Bairstow’s poorly timed injury looks to have potentially cost him this place in the side, a position many (including himself) would’ve thought inconceivable. However, I’d argue that it may be a good thing if England decide to drop Bairstow for the second test.

When a player is regarded as vital within a team, complacency is undoubtedly an issue, and from what we saw from Bairstow against India really showed that he was getting too comfortable in his position. Despite a good 93 at Lord’s, the rest of the series was littered with weak shots that showed he was struggling to get in the right mindset, and perhaps a lack of competition within the batting department is a factor in this.

What Bairstow needs to get back on track is for people to question his position and let him know that he needs to improve, and Foakes’ performance has done just that. With increasing competition not only for the wicketkeeper’s position but also as a batsman, Bairstow knows he needs to work hard to get back into the team. Last time he was dropped, he went back to county cricket, worked hard on his game, and plundered runs until he was recalled. Although there is no county cricket to go back to, one can hope that Foakes’ challenge can motivate Bairstow to really up his game if he is looking to be selected for the 2nd test.

A lot of English fans are huge fans of Bairstow, and quite rightly. When he’s on form he’s an outstanding player to watch and can often take games away from the opposition, but like any player he is going through a difficult patch in his career. Foakes putting his position in doubt could be just what he needs to get back into form, showing him that his place is no longer guaranteed in this England line up.

Foakes already looks a more organised batsman and keeper than Bairstow, but this certainly doesn’t rule out his return as a specialist batsman, sometimes the best players just need a reality check to get back into form. Bairstow has been dropped once and come back stronger, hopefully this wake-up call will spur him on to even greater heights.