Jonny Bairstow’s freakish sporting talents revealed after emotional WACA century

HE may not look it, but Jonny Bairstow might just be the most talented bloke on the planet. But the wicketkeeper’s incredible story is one just not of talent, but toughness too.

Jonny Bairstow looks up to the sky after reaching his century.

UPDATE: JONNY Bairstow knows all about getting up and going when things are tough.

Earlier this year in an interview with Michael Vaughan, he revealed that his mother sent him to school the day after he came home to find his father, David, who had committed suicide.

The thinking was life must go on.

It was the harshest of lessons for an eight-year-old boy to learn.

This tour has provided challenges of a different sort for Bairstow, but Friday’s scintillating maiden Ashes hundred at the WACA reinforced what a tough character he is.

Jonny Bairstow looks up to the sky after reaching his century.

Bairstow was humiliated when headbutt gate became public earlier this tour, and a flood of emotion poured out of him when he celebrated his ton – even butting his forehead against his helmet for dramatic effect.

However, the more significant reaction was his look to the heavens, an emotional tribute at the WACA in honour of his late father.

“Naturally you want people to be around and that’s (looking skyward) just something that naturally happens,” Bairstow said.

“It’s not something that I necessarily think about. It’s just a natural thing.

“This hundred in many ways was my favourite one because I’ve played in a few Ashes series so far now and to score an Ashes hundred is something you dream about as a kid to be really honest with you.

“It’s eluded me until now. A whole heap of emotions came running through.”

Under all sorts of pressure for contributing to the off-field hysteria that has engulfed England’s tour, Bairstow produced a fighting knock to lift his side from the canvas.

Bairstow’s brilliant 119 – featuring 19 blistering boundaries – was his first hundred against Australia and exhibited all the class of one of cricket’s great all-round athletes.

BLOG: All the action from day two at the WACA

WARNING: Fixing spotlight turns to young guns

In Brisbane, Australia used headbutt jibes to get under Bairstow’s skin and forced him to throw his wicket away.

On Friday at the WACA, Bairstow fought fire with fire and butted back like a charging rhino.

Often Bairstow’s slickest work comes in the warm-up, when he stands out in England’s pre-match soccer games.

Bairstow was in Leeds United’s prestigious football academy until he was 16.

He was also a champion schoolboy rugby union with potential to go professional and a star hockey player.

Jonny Bairstow headbutts his helmet.

For fun he plays off single digits on the golf course, is a massive fan of the Leeds Rhinos rugby league side and was in Adelaide gifted an Aussie Rules Football by a member of the Australian staff.

South African star AB de Villiers had a famed reputation as a kid that could have represented his country in any number of sports, before settling on cricket.

Bairstow proved why it was his true calling to have a bat in his hands.

Like Bairstow junior, father David was an England wicketkeeper and Yorkshire icon with 459 first-class matches to his name.

Earlier this year, Bairstow released a heart-warming tribute to his dad, called, A Clear Blue Sky, where he retells the harrowing tale of how his father took his own life while his mother was battling cancer.

Bairstow has become known on this tour for the headbutt he landed on Cameron Bancroft’s in a Perth nightclub a few weeks ago but his life’s journey is one that few could relate to.

“No one knows why he did it and no one ever will,” said Bairstow in an interview with The Daily Mail.

“Whether it be mum, me, Becky (sister), Andrew (half brother) or anyone else. No one will ever know why.

“There’s no point questioning it every single day because if you do that it will bring you down.”

Mother Janet said she used to wish David was there to watch her prodigiously talented son excel in virtually anything he tried his hand at.

Jonny Bairstow has showed plenty of fight since the first Test.

“I saw other fathers on the sidelines when Jonathan was young playing rugby or football and it would have been nice for him to have that support.”

Bairstow said his multi-skills have given him an edge and a heightened love of the game.

“I got given an AFL footy the other day. I need to work on those skills,” he said.

“Growing up playing all sports is so crucial as a kid. The skills you’re able to implement, the hand to eye co-ordination that different sports give you.

“I don’t think I was good enough at football to be honest with you. There’s not many people that make it to the highest level, but to have a passion and love for different sports is really important when you’re playing international sport.”

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Originally published as Jonny Bairstow’s freakish sporting talents revealed after emotional WACA century