Jonny Bairstow’s place in the side was questioned heading into this Test, but the England wicketkeeper was back to his brutal best with the bat as he bludgeoned an unbeaten 99
A short while before Cameron Green brought England’s first innings to a close by trapping Jimmy Anderson plum in front, Ben Stokes had risen to his feet in the home dressing room.
Of those who spotted the skipper, a few assumed he was getting ready to call in the lads and get cracking at the Australian batting line-up. Not a chance. Stokes was merely positioning himself for a better view of the Jonny Bairstow pyrotechnics.
He could have declared. Considering the dismal weather forecast for the weekend, some pundits thought he should have declared. But, hey, why spoil the fun? Because fun is what this England team is all about – at least that is what they keep telling us.
And they are seldom anything but true to their word. So, a capacity Old Trafford crowd was treated to the sight of Bairstow bludgeoning four maximums on one of cricket’s grounds and briefly threatening to score the fastest-ever Test century by an English batsman.