Jonny Bairstow reveals what Ben Stokes told him during second Test vs New Zealand

England pulled off a remarkable chase on the final day of the Nottingham test as they chased 299 within 50 overs. The game was wide open on the morning of the fifth day with all three results possible. After bundling out New Zealand for 284 in the morning session, England had a herculean task ahead of them needing 299 runs in 72 overs to win the Test. While many expected the hosts to go for a draw, the three lions took everyone by surprise by going for the chase.

The star performer of the innings was Jonny Bairstow. He smashed the Kiwi bowlers all around the ground on his way to a scintillating knock of 136 off just 92 deliveries with 14 fours and 7 sixes. Bairstow along with Stokes were involved in the game-changing partnership of 179 off just 121 balls. Coming to the crease on the score of 93/4, Bairstow and Stokes took the Blackcaps’ bowling attack to cleaners as they began scoring boundaries for fun.

After his ‘Man of the Match’ performance, Bairstow revealed his captain’s advice that helped him during his blistering knock. Bairstow mentioned that Stokes wanted him to hit the ball in the stands instead of going for fours.

“Ben said: ‘Don’t even think about hitting it down, just plant it in the stands. I was just trying to do what the captain said,” Bairstow was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“I’m not sure about ‘picking the right ball’. Strip it back, it’s only you and the bowler there. That’s the bit that sometimes gets complicated. If you strip it back, and just watch the ball, that’s the zone right there, and you have to get in it.”

The star batsman also rated this knock to be his best ever hundred in the longest format of the game, and also expressed himself about the team’s performances in the past few years in the red-ball format.

“This is No.1 for me, it’d be tricky not to be. There’s been a lot of chatter around England’s Test cricket over a few years, some of it’s been harsh, but I’m hugely proud about how we’ve gone about it in the last few years. It has enabled us to get closer as a group, and if we can keep that momentum, the sky is the limit,” he added.