"I would love to see him bat up the order whether he has the gloves or not. He could easily bat anywhere in the top five. He has the game, he has the technique."
Tuesday 24 September 2019 06:44, UK
Jonny Bairstow's omission from England's Test will give him a "jolt" ahead of a definite return to the side, according to Paul Farbrace.
Bairstow, who averaged under 24 during the Ashes with only one fifty in 10 innings, has been left out of a 15-man squad to tour New Zealand in November, with Jos Buttler to keep wicket.
Farbrace, formerly England's assistant coach and now sporting director at Warwickshire, is adamant that Bairstow will earn a recall and wants that to be higher up the batting order.
"It is a surprise because I think he has done brilliantly for England," Farbrace said of Bairstow's omission. "He will come again, there is no doubt. He is far too good a cricketer [not to come back].
"This might act as a bit of a jolt for him, he will get his game in order and he will be back.
"He has been brilliant for England over the last few years. In one-day cricket he has been sensational at the top of the order, in Test cricket he has scored runs down at No 7.
"I would love to see him bat up the order whether he has the gloves or not. He could easily bat anywhere in England's top five. He has the game, he has the technique."
Farbrace has had an excellent view of Warwickshire opener Dom Sibley, who has earned his maiden England Test call-up after scoring 1,324 runs in the Specsavers County Championship this season, with his five centuries including two double hundreds.
"I think it's the perfect time for him," Farbrace said of the 24-year-old right-hander, who joined the Edgbaston club from Surrey in 2017.
"There was talk earlier in the summer about him maybe playing in the Ashes but I think the selectors have got it absolutely right.
"They have let him score an awful lot of runs this year - a double hundred and a hundred in the last game against Nottinghamshire - and he is playing fantastically well.
"He has got his game well-organised and I think it's a fantastic selection. He thoroughly deserves it.
"There has been a lot of chat about the modern player who goes out and tries to score a hundred in a session but he is someone who is happy to bat all day. It's about how many runs you score, not how [you score them].
"I think he has fantastic powers of concentration, he can bat long periods and is everything Test cricket needs.
Watch England's tour of New Zealand, which features five T20Is and two Tests, live on Sky Sports Cricket in October, November and December.
