Jonny Bairstow exclusive: ‘I heard my leg snap. Then I was screaming uncontrollably’

“Different things make people tick,” says Bairstow. “I don’t like watching too much. I will try to take my mind off and do other bits. I have been trying to find Baz to chew his ear off while doing the sudoku, because he’s generally doing a cryptic crossword that takes him two days to find three answers. “The clarity around how we are playing our cricket, that suits the way I play, too. I am not worried about hanging around and I have always wanted to put pressure back on the opposition. “It’s man management, how you get the best out of people. That has been a really encouraging sign this summer. We are starting to get the best out of people, and find out more about each other. On and off the field, tightening as a group, the cohesion we have, scrapping for each other, believing in each other. “I wish them the best in Pakistan and the World Cup, I am distraught not to be there, and will be watching on the TV when I can. I’ve really enjoyed my Test cricket, after Covid times, which I found tough.” At a conservative estimate, he had spent less than 80 days in his own bed since the start of 2020, so the injury, Bairstow believes, allows some time to reflect, and take in that extraordinary summer, before returning stronger. With 89 caps in Tests, and 95 in ODIs, a century in each is drifting onto the horizon. “I will probably write some bits down to digest and take in,” he says. “There are going to be some s--- days when I am missing playing again and you struggle to drag yourself to the gym when it’s cold, dark and miserable. I’m not a massive writer, but I make little notes. I’m not a massive talker about how I’m feeling, so it’s a coping mechanism, if you like." It would be easy to assume Bairstow's injury would have cast a cloud over him, but it is reassuring to see him so upbeat – he is happy to pose for pictures in his protective boot, and shares snaps taken in his hospital bed, including one of him contemplating The Beano (an in-joke with his friends).

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