England vs Sri Lanka: Jonny Bairstow admits it'll be dog fight to get back into England ODI team
Star of the moment targets return to team for five one-dayers and T20
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Your support makes all the difference.England's free-scoring batsman Jonny Bairstow is targetting a return to the starting XI for the forthcoming limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka.
Bairstow was man of the match for his 167 not out at Lord’s - and England’s man of the series with 387 runs - as the final Investec Test dribbled to a draw on the final day. And next up are the five one-day internationals against Sri Lanka, starting next Tuesday at Trent Bridge, and a solitary Twenty20 match.
"I feel like I'm striking the ball well," Bairstow said. "I’m very happy. On the back of the tour to South Africa [where he got a Test 150] I felt it was important to start the summer well, to hit the ground running with an England shirt on and to contribute. That’s been pleasing.”
However, Bairstow says the one-day team and T20 sides are playing well at the moment - the T20 squad got to the World Cup final before losing in dramatic fashion to the West Indies - and he is no shoo-in. After his summer runs so far that may be up for debate. “The squad in South Africa did really well,” he said. “As did the T20 squad. I’m under no illusions it will be a dog fight to get in to the starting XI, like it is with any England side.”
His coach Trevor Bayliss was impressed. “With James Taylor being unavailable, his chances of playing have risen. Obviously, he's been in some pretty good form. There is a pretty good chance he will get a game. He's really come of age and looks like he belongs.”
England named Middlesex’s uncapped batsman Dawid Malan, the T20 specialist fast bowler Tymal Mills and spinner Liam Dawson in the Twenty20 squad with Test batsmen Joe Root and Alex Hales rested.
Mills has stopped playing first-class cricket because a chronic back condition means he cannot bowl more than four overs a day but he hits speeds of up to 93mph and mixes the quick stuff with clever slower balls. "I've only seen him once in practice in South Africa in the nets," Bayliss said. "The reaction of our batters said enough. There were plenty of them lining up in the spinners' net. He gives us something different."
One-day squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes.
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey.
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