Published: Jul 12, 2016, 04:22 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 12, 2016, 07:07 PM (IST)
Former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon believes Jonathan Bairstow could be ‘one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen England have ever had.’ Bairstow stood out for his performance in the Test series against Sri Lanka scoring two centuries and averaging 129 with the bat. However, he has not received good reviews for the work behind stumps. Meanwhile, Bairstow will keep the gloves for first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday and Nixon is confident, Bairstow can make improvements needed to make his position better. Nixon also stressed that Bairstow needs work on his glove work just like he does with his batting. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2016, 1st Test at Lord’s
Speaking to Skysports.com, Nixon told, “Jonny’s inexperienced as a ‘keeper, he’s still learning his trade and it’s very tough because everybody’s expectations are so high. He’s done really very well at times and probably dropped balls that he would like to have caught at times, that’s learning. Whatever trade you are in, it takes time to learn and we have to respect that. His batting has been world class. Once we saw him under pressure a couple of years ago against South Africa at Lord’s and he got that brilliant 95, we knew he had the spirit, the conviction, the technique and the temperament to do well. So if he’s done that in his batting then he can do it with his ‘keeping.”
Nixon further mentioned, “I think there are a couple of areas that he needs to work on, hopefully England will have identified those. For me, I’d like to see him move those feet a little bit more, get up a little bit earlier and just be expecting the outside edge a bit more. Hopefully they’ll be addressing that and, for me, he can be one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen England have ever had.” ALSO READ: Ben Stokes’ mother’s appeal upheld by Press Council
Nixon believes that handling the gloves as well as batting has helped Bairstow’s performance further, “What it helps with when you’re ‘keeping and you’re batting is that, if you keep first, it helps your batting because you know the pace of the pitch, you’re used to your eyes tracking going in straight lines all the time, you’re involved and you’re in the game. Then if you bat first, that helps your ‘keeping because again you’ve got the pace of the pitch, you know the heights to come up, the timing of your postures and your foot movements et cetera.”
Nixon feels Bairstow’s wicketkeeping skills have been overshadowed by Jos Buttler who has excelled in Tests with gloves. But when it comes to all time favorite, it has to be James Foster who has set the standard, “ For me, James Foster was the best ‘keeper and still is the best ‘keeper by a mile. Obviously age isn’t on his side but he’s still fit and well and winning games for Essex. I think he can still do a job, that’s my opinion but they’re going to look forward. There is an opportunity for somebody to stand up and be counted but possession is nine-tenths and it is now up to Jonny and how much he works and how much he pushes on, that’s crucial.”
