England have hit the transition button in white-ball cricket as well after introducing some fresh faces in Test cricket earlier this summer. Following their unsuccessful attempt to defend their World Cup titles both in T20Is and ODIs, England have added a few new names to their white-ball set-up for the upcoming series against Australia. The introduction of the likes of Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousely and Jordan Cox meant that the seasoned veterans Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali were nowhere to be seen in the two squads.
While Moeen Ali might already be towards the twilight of his career, Bairstow, who was part of the England setup across formats until a couple of months ago, has been dropped from all three of them in the last 45 days. And hence the question begged itself to be asked, is it the end of the road for Jonny Bairstow in an England shirt? The chief selector Luke Wright didn't give an affirmative but did state that Bairstow still has a chance of a return.
"One of Jonny's great strengths is how much he wants to play," said Wright.
"We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that's been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury?
"He understands that. He doesn't like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team." Bairstow lost his place in Test cricket following a poor tour of India and hasn't been able to pull his weight in white-ball cricket as well.
England squads for Australia series
T20Is: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner
ODIs: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner
