Jonny Bairstow Birthday Special: 114 vs RCB & Other Staggering Knocks by SRH Batsman in IPL
Making his IPL debut in 2019, Jonny Bairstow proved his worth immediately by playing several spectacular knocks for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He formed a formidable pair with David Warner at the top of the order, and the duo demolished many bowling line-ups. Speaking of Bairstow’s record in IPL, the right-handed batsman has scored 506 in 11 matches with an average of 56.22
One of the most destructive openers in World Cricket at the moment, Jonny Bairstow celebrates his 31st birthday on Saturday (September 26). Born in 1989, the England batsman likes to attack the bowlers from the outset, and his knack of playing for long makes him a great asset. Starting his career as a middle-order batsman, the wicket-keeper played some good knocks. However, his best was unleashed when Eoin Morgan asked him to open innings for England in 2017. Bairstow didn’t look back after that and cemented his spot in the national team. Owing to his blitzes in the circuit, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bought him for INR 2.2 crore in 2019 IPL auctions. Jason Holder Replaces Mitchell Marsh in SRH Squad for IPL 2020.
Bairstow proved his worth immediately by playing several spectacular knocks in the gala T20 tournament. He formed a formidable pair with David Warner at the top of the order, and the duo demolished many bowling line-ups. Speaking of Bairstow’s record in IPL, the right-handed batsman has scored 506 in 11 matches with an average of 56.22. During this time, the Englishman had a staggering strike of 155.21. As the swashbuckling SRH opener turns a year older, let’s revisit some of the best knocks played by him in IPL. Jonny Bairstow Advances to 10th Position After Finishing England vs Australia Series as Highest Run-Scorer.
114 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019
Bairstow unleashed carnage in Hyderabad and smashed the RCB bowlers all over the park. Opening the batting with David Warner, the right-handed batsman attacked from the outset and scored runs all over the park. The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav looked utterly clueless as Bairstow registered his maiden IPL ton. Riding of his efforts, SRH piled 231/2 while batting first and went on to win the game by 118 runs.
61 vs Chennai Super Kings in 2019
CSK could only score 132/5 while batting first in Hyderabad as the pitch looked friendly for bowlers. However, that wasn’t the case when Hyderabad came on to bat. Warner went after the bowlers straightway while Bairstow played the anchor role. The Australian dasher got dismissed, but the wicket-keeper didn’t put a foot wrong as SRH won the match by six wickets.
80 vs Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019
Chasing 160 for victory in Hyderabad, Bairstow again got SRH off to a flier. The Englishman made maximum utilization of the powerplay overs as the scoring rate was always on the higher side. Notably, he didn’t play a rash short throughout the innings and stayed unbeaten till the end. As a result, Sunrisers Hyderabad advanced to the total in just the 15th over with nine wickets in hand.
61 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2020
This Jonny Bairstow special was witnessed just a few days back. Chasing 164 at the spin-friendly Dubai track, SRH lost skipper David Warner early. However, the wicket-keeper didn’t put his guards down and kept his side in the hunt. He crossed the 50-run mark as Hyderabad’s victory looked inevitable. However, the batting line-up collapsed after his dismissal as RCB won the game by ten runs.
Bairstow has already shown good form early in the tournament, and he’ll be critical to SRH’s success in Dream11 IPL 2020. The dashing opener will take the field later in the evening against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi and will like to make his birthday more special with a match-winning knock.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2020 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).