Jonny Bairstow: England batsman set to play first Test against New Zealand as 'exciting' new era gets underway
Jonny Bairstow: "I'm really excited about the prospect of working with him [Brendon McCullum] for hopefully a long period of time"; watch England vs New Zealand live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10am on Thursday
Tuesday 31 May 2022 07:02, UK
Jonny Bairstow is set to start England's first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday, seeing off competition from young Harry Brook who was hoping to make his debut.
Sky Sports News reporter James Cole reported on Monday morning that everyone in England's 13-man squad was "fit and practising", with the batting lineup "settled" - Bairstow slotting in at number five ahead of his fellow Yorkshireman Brook.
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There is one final place still to be decided, with Craig Overton and potential debutant, Durham's Matt Potts, competing for the final bowling spot alongside James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and Jack Leach.
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Stokes will lead England out for the first time as the permanent Test captain on Thursday, with new head coach Brendon McCullum also overseeing his first game in charge against his home nation.
"Of course it is [exciting]," Bairstow told Sky Sports.
"He [McCullum] is someone I have always wanted to work with. Playing against him and growing up watching him, he was someone I was very intrigued by and I looked up to in many ways - the way he went about his cricket.
"I'm really excited about the prospect of working with him for hopefully a long period of time."
Bairstow added: "We know what Stokesy brings as well, his leadership qualities that he has had on the field for a long, long time.
"There is a lot of positivity around the group."
England's new era in Test cricket could 'take time'
Bairstow, who was part of England's World Cup-winning side in 2019, did also warn against expectations being too high too soon, drawing upon the example of the white-ball side as they turned around their fortunes following a group-stage exit at the 2015 World Cup.
England have won just one and lost 11 of their last 17 Tests, a run which included a 4-0 drubbing in the Ashes over the winter which led to the departure of Chris Silverwood as head coach and signalled the end of Joe Root's captaincy, despite him holding onto the job for the subsequent tour of the West Indies.
"First and foremost, it's about taking wickets, going out and winning key periods of the game and winning games of cricket," Bairstow said. "That's what we're here to do and what we want to be doing.
"But, that takes time to play in that kind of fashion. We saw it with the white-ball side and how that transition took a little bit of time, the shift that took.
"No doubt that will be the same with this, but that's the exciting part of it.
"And with the way that Ben plays his red-ball cricket and the way Baz [McCullum] played his red-ball and white-ball cricket, I'm sure there will be things that rub off within the environment over the next few weeks, months and year."
'McCullum will have instant impact' - NZ coach Stead
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead says McCullum will have an immediate impact on England's Test team but fans may need to be patient for the results to come.
Stead said McCullum, along with former Black Caps head coach Mike Hesson, had been the catalyst for change in New Zealand cricket and would waste little time making his mark in his new role.
"I have no doubt, knowing Baz [McCullum], that he will have an instant impact," Stead told reporters.
"Brendon will bring that heart-on-the-sleeve type [of] play, I'm sure, into that England squad.
"He'll be really clear on what he wants and how he wants them to play the game.
"[But] ... it's still about the players playing the game. I'm sure he will have some impact but whether that's right now or in the future, who knows?"
Winners of the World Test Championship last year, New Zealand's title defence is on shaky ground after tying the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh.
They are also a different line-up from the side that beat England 1-0 last year, with senior batsman Ross Taylor and wicketkeeper BJ Watling having retired, and Stead said his team did not see themselves as series favourites.
"We certainly don't look at it that way. [It's] a 50 per cent chance for both teams of winning the game when you start.
"It's just winning small moments and then the result will look after itself."
Nicholls a doubt for first Test | Boult unlikely to play
England and New Zealand's clash at Lord's is the first Test of a three-match series, with the second and third taking place at Trent Bridge and Headingley, respectively, later in June.
New Zealand have confirmed their 15-man squad for the first Test, with the addition of Michael Bracewell as '16th man' to cover for Henry Nicholls, who is a doubt as he continues his recovery from a right calf injury.
Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Rachin Ravindra and Hamish Rutherford have been released from the initial 20-player squad.
Trent Boult is due to arrive in London on Monday after playing in Rajasthan Royals' defeat in the IPL final on Sunday. He is considered unlikely to be available for the first Test.
Watch the first Test between England and New Zealand, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Thursday.
