Jonny Bairstow may never play for England again after missing white-ball squads for Australian series

Jonny Bairstow could have fired his last shot against Australia after getting some bad news ahead of next month’s white-ball series in the UK.

Lord’s run-out victim Jonny Bairstow has been denied his chance to lock horns with Australia again and may not play any more international cricket after being axed from England’s white-ball squads for the upcoming ODI and T20 clashes in the UK.

But the Aussies will be taking on firebrand fast bowler Jofra Archer again after he was named in both squads ahead of a possible return to the Big Bash this season.

Bairstow, infamously run out by Australian keeper Alex Carey at Lord’s during the 2023 Ashes, an incident that continues to reverberate between the two teams, was left out of the first white-ball squads named since England’s Australian coach Matthew Mott was sacked.

Jonny Bairstow reacts after being run out by Alex Carey at Lord’s. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Having also been jettisoned from the Test team, Bairstow, 34, faces a fight to regain his spot in all three formats, meaning he could have fired his last shot at Australia.

The incident with Bairstow at Lord’s sparked ugly scenes in the members as the Australians left the field. Two MCC members were banned for life, and tensions between the teams remain high more than 12 months later.

With 37-year-old Moeen Ali also left out, England’s interim white-ball coach Marcus Trescothick has turned to five uncapped players for the three T20s and five ODIs that begin on September 11 in Southampton.

South African-born pace bowler John Turner, Barbadian-born all-rounder Jacob Bethell and left-arm seamer Josh Hull are selected in both formats; Dan Mousley and Jordan Cox come into the T20 reckoning.

Bairstow doesn’t really want to hear what Travis Head has to say. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Jos Buttler will captain both teams but a hamstring injury means Ben Stokes will miss the entire series, while Test players Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Matthew Potts will miss the T20s but are in the squad for the five-match ODI series.

Joe Root has been rested, while Zak Crawley and Mark Wood are injured.

Fast-bowling weapon Archer, who tormented Australia in the 2019 Ashes before enduring a long list of injury issues, mainly with his elbow, is in both squads and is set to play his first ODI since the 2022-23 tour of Bangladesh.

He’s set to be one of the biggest name in next Sunday’s Big Bash League draft but may not find a home, with clubs wary about how many games he will be allowed to play as well as his injury issues.

England T20I squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner.

England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner.