Joe Root backs Jonny Bairstow to respond after being left out of New Zealand Test squad

Root also praised the appointment of Chris Silverwood as England’s new head coach. The two have worked closely together since Silverwood joined the setup in 2017

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Joe Root has backed Jonny Bairstow to respond after being dropped by England for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.

The wicketkeeper endured a poor Ashes series with the bat; he has averaged just 19.45 in Test cricket in 2019, passing 50 just once.

He was, of course, a major part of the England side that won the World Cup, opening the batting with Jason Roy and forging one of the white-ball game’s most domineering partnerships.

He enjoyed similar success in his maiden Indian Premier League stint earlier in the year, putting together an indomitable stand with David Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad.

One common view has been that Bairstow’s increased fallibility in red-ball cricket can be linked to the evolution of his white-ball game, though he has rejected this suggestion.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds about his Yorkshire colleague, Root admitted Bairstow was “very disappointed” to be left out of the Test party, with Jos Buttler taking the gloves in his place.

“We’ve had long conversations about it, obviously, and he understands that his performances over the last 18 months or so have slipped and have not been to the standards of him or as we’d expect them to be. Because of it, he’s ended up being left out.

“But one thing I expect from Jonny is a response. He’ll go away and work on certain areas of his Test game and use the opportunity with that extra bit of time off.

“When you’re playing all formats like Jonny has over the last three or four years, you don’t get windows of opportunity to work at certain parts of your game. You’re always preparing for the next series.

“When he gets the opportunity to come away again, I’m sure he’ll do what he does best and prove everyone wrong and cement his place in the side. That’s the character he is.”

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Silverwood spent much of playing career at Yorkshire

Root also praised the appointment of Chris Silverwood as England’s new head coach. The two have worked closely together since Silverwood joined the setup as the team’s bowling coach in 2017 when he replaced Ottis Gibson.

Silverwood’s promotion means that Root will be alongside a fellow Yorkshireman. In his playing days, Silverwood spent the vast majority of his career at Headingley, having been born in Pontefract. He was part of a local battery of fast bowlers that also included Darren Gough, Ryan Sidebottom and Matthew Hoggard.

“He’s done some excellent work since he’s been involved in the team,” Root added.

“He’s very thorough, very well organised, knows exactly how he wants to take the team forward and has got a very good relationship with the guys. I think that carries a lot of weight and goes a long way.

“He’s very knowledgeable as well, not just about his bowlers and how to take 20 wickets, but about cricket in general.

“I think it’s a really good appointment.”

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