The Ashes 2019: England confident struggling batsmen can turn around form at Lord’s

The Poms may have struggled big time with the bat at Edgbaston but they aren’t planning a revamp for Lord’s, which is music to the ears of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow.

Jonny Bairstow is struggling in the five-day game.

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Jonny Bairstow has been handed a show of faith by England coach Trevor Bayliss, who insists the World Cup winner is at his most dangerous when the pressure is on.

Bairstow played a vital role in landing England their long-awaited one-day silverware earlier last month but has become a less consistent contributor in the Test arena.

He was dismissed for eight and six as Australia won the Ashes opener by a crushing margin of 251, having bagged a pair of ducks against Ireland a week earlier.

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Jonny Bairstow is struggling in the five-day game.

That sequence of low scores lowered his average to 22.91 since the start of last summer, well below his career mark of 35.70 and nowhere near a true representation of man with six Test hundreds and 20 half-centuries to his name.

While there is no real appetite to drop Bairstow, the idea that he and Jos Buttler could benefit from some time out has supporters.

But when asked if he was concerned about the wicketkeeper-batsman’s position ahead of next week’s second Test at Lord’s, Bayliss said: “I wouldn’t have thought so. He’s got a bit in the bank, Jonny.

Jos Buttler is knocked over cheaply by Pat Cummins.

“We know what a class player he is and he’s at his best when he’s got a point to prove. He usually finds a way to motivate himself. When he’s got a point to prove that’s usually when he’s at the top of his game.”

Bayliss was also supportive of Bairstow’s ODI opening partner Jason Roy, who has yet to show he can replicate his domineering limited-overs style in the longer format.

His second outing against Australia began promisingly enough but ended in ghastly fashion, charging down the crease and bowled through the gate by Nathan Lyon in what was ostensibly a day five rearguard.

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“I thought he was trying throughout both innings to knuckle down and play in a Test match mode. But if he gets out like he did he’s got to take it on the chin, we’ve got to take it on the chin,” Bayliss said.

“If you’ve been applauding him for playing those kind of shots elsewhere it’s a bit hard to be too critical if he gets out playing that way.”

One obvious up-side in England’s losing cause was Rory Burns, who ground out a maiden hundred in Birmingham to lay down a marker at the highest level.

Jason Roy is finding life much tougher in Tests than in ODIs or T20a.

“We knew he was a fighter. He’s got a good style about him as a bloke so I’m very happy for him,” said Bayliss.

“He’d probably be the first to admit he hasn’t got the copybook technique but neither has the number four in the other team either (Steve Smith) and he scored plenty, too.

“That just proves you don’t have to have the perfect technique to be able to score runs. It’s about understanding how your technique works and trying to make the best of the positions you find yourself in.”

Originally published as The Ashes 2019: England confident struggling batsmen can turn around form at Lord’s