England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow says the nail-biting 22-run victory over Bangladesh reignited memories of a similar close finish from the 2013 Ashes at Trent Bridge.
Part of the victorious Ashes winning sides of 2013 & 2015, Bairstow was witness to one of the extraordinary Trent Bridge moments across the years, when Ashton Agar struck 98 from No 11 on debut, smashing numerous records in the process.
Having gone onto win that game by just 14 runs, to take a 1-0 lead in that series, the first Test of the current Bangladesh series had striking similarities for the Yorkshire batsman.
"That win in Chittagong was huge. For me, it was up there with our 2013 Ashes victory at Trent Bridge, when Ashton Agar got 98 at No 11 for Australia and we ended up winning by 14 runs,” said Bairstow.
“The way we pulled together against Bangladesh was amazing, even after losing three wickets early on in both innings. To win from there showed what we’re capable of.
“Our bowlers played a huge part in the win. In Bangladesh’s first innings they lost six for 27, and in their second we dragged it back after they were 80-odd for one. Having the strike power to do that on the subcontinent bodes well — both for Friday’s second Test in Dhaka and our five-match series in India starting next month.
“There was some talk of sleepless nights going into the last day of the game, but I was absolutely exhausted that evening. I went to bed at 9.15 and slept all the way through. It was a combination of everything: the heat, the challenge of wicketkeeping, the concentration needed to score runs.
“When we got to the ground the next day, the team were pretty relaxed. We knew it would only take two balls.
“But when that one from Ben Stokes in the second over hit Taijul Islam’s gloves and went over my head for four, I thought, here we go! Then Stokes went bang, bang — and we could celebrate a famous win.”
In the Chittagong victory, Bairstow made some history of his own with a single off Mehedi Hasan in the second innings, passing Andy Flower’s record of most runs by a Test wicketkeeper in a calendar year.
Having been in and out of the side in recent years, a maiden century against South Africa at the beginning of 2016 has made Bairstow a Test regular for England’s fine run of form in the longest format.
“I’m not a big one for looking up my stats but I was aware during the game that I’d gone past Andy Flower’s record for most Test runs in a calendar year by a wicketkeeper. That was very pleasing,” he said.
“The last 12 months have been a bit of a whirlwind. My Test career had been so stop-start. I was in and out of the side and even played one Test in Mumbai where I was caught off Gautam Gambhir’s helmet and walked off not knowing the laws!
“Then things clicked for me in South Africa in January, but the journey you go through makes you stronger as a person. More than anything, my self-belief is on a different level to when I first played for England as a young kid in the one-day side five years ago — as a batsman and a wicketkeeper.
“As a youngster, you take a lot of things to heart, so you have to learn to trust yourself. If someone who doesn’t know anything about wicketkeeping finds a reason to criticise, you have to sift it out. It’s about working out how to deal with the criticism while improving your game.”
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