The friendship between Jonny Bairstow and Test cricket seemed to be falling apart when England toured India last year. With the bat, he cut a sorry figure, and a few months later at home, against the same opposition, his performance was nothing satisfactory. In Australia, apart from one century, the performance was mediocre while in West Indies, this year, just one hundred and later on, his bat did not bloom flowers.
Then he traveled to Mumbai straight from Grenada after England finished their dismal Caribbean tour under Joe Root and when he returned home, Bairstow discovered that the whole setup had been changed.
In between, he maintained his fitness and form in limited-overs form intact because England would be playing a lot of them in the coming days against some of the toughest opponents in the 50- over and Twenty20 format.
Whether there would be a possibility of missing Test matches remained a moot question - but Bairstow expressed his interest in playing Test cricket.
In an interview with the reporters, Bairstow said before the start of the Test series against New Zealand, "You know my desire to play for England, my desire to play Test cricket. That hadn't come into my mind. I have never been one for resting when there's opportunities to play for England: it's extremely special."
In the ongoing Test series against New Zealand, Bairstow has been given the role as a middle-order batter while Ben Foakes is donning the wicketkeeping gloves.
Foakes has been delivering the goods both with the gloves and bat whereas, Bairstow is yet to shine.
Before he came out to bat in the fourth innings of the second Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, his scores read - 1, 16, and 8.
Surely, it was hard to expect someone to shine under pressure.
The Bairstow show
It had been a high-scoring affair at Trent Bridge.
Both New Zealand and England had posted more than 500 runs in their respective first innings and given the fact that the track was flat; a tame draw was on the cards.
But the English bowlers started to fetch wickets at regular intervals in the second innings of New Zealand and made the Test a fascinating one.
New Zealand gave England a target of 299 to chase in a minimum of 72 overs.
Trent Boult had Zak Crawley out for a duck as England went for lunch at 36 for 1 and by tea, Boult had claimed the most important wicket of an in-form Joe Root, Matt Henry dismissed the centurion in the first innings Ollie Pope cheaply and Tim Southee removed Alex Lees for 44 leaving England at 93 for 4.
Ben Stokes and Bairstow joined at the crease with the intent to win rather than seeing off the day and hang on for a draw.
In eight innings since his hundred against the West Indies a couple of months ago, Bairstow had failed to surpass a score of 30 and yet again, he got the opportunity to showcase his abilities as a Test batsman for England.
After the tea interval, England needed 160 runs to win from 38 overs and for the sane brains, it would have been ideal to occupy the crease and save the Test rather than taking any undue risks.
By then Bairstow had rediscovered his mojo and unleashed an assault that would remain in the memories of those who watched it for a long time.
The short-ball tactics of Henry was treated mercilessly as Bairstow raced to his half-century with back-to-back boundaries. Then he lofted Boult for a 6, over long-off. Two more maximums off Henry's next over saw England fetching 43 runs off 3 overs - the tornado had gained its full momentum and Bairstow became unstoppable.
With Kyle Jamieson unable to bowl due to a breakdown, England cashed in and New Zealand were looking short of ideas against Bairstow's swashbuckling knock.
Stokes appeared to twist his knee, but still defied the uncomfortable feeling and held one end firm by providing the perfect foil to Bairstow's aggression.
Runs came thick and fast off the bat of Bairstow and it provided enough comfort for Stokes, who hardly had to run.
Bairstow creamed Henry for two boundaries and reduced the required run below hundred. Then Southee was crunched through the covers. But before that, he had completed his hundred by taking 3 runs.
It 77 balls to complete his hundred - the second-fastest by an English batter.
New Zealand tried the spin bowling of Michael Bracewell, but there was no mercy as he was smoked for sixes and boundaries.
By the time Bairstow was dismissed by Boult, the match was all but finished for New Zealand.
Stokes remained unbeaten at the wicket for 75 off 70 balls. his 179-run stand with Bairstow for the fifth-wicket stand off 20.1 over 8.8 runs per over was the third-fastest century in Test cricket in terms of run rate.
Bairstow stayed at the wicket for 150 minutes. Hit 14fours and 7 sixes. Faced 92 balls for a cracking 136 runs.
Bairstow averages 40.48 while batting at number 7 whereas when he bats at number 5 and 6, he averages 30.71 and 39.81 respectively.
The numbers were not backing him when he came out to bat at number 5.
It was time to change the scenario and bring England back on track.
Bairstow's knock helped England win two consecutive Test matches whereas at one point England had won just one from 17 Test matches.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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