Bairstow `hard to leave out` of Champions Trophy, admits Bayliss

Johannesburg [South Africa], May 8 (ANI): England coach Trevor Bayliss has admitted that it would really hard for him to leave out Test wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow from the upcoming Champions Trophy to be held in England and Wales from June 1. Bairstow, deployed as a specialist batsman, played a blistering knock of 72 not out as England beat Ireland by 85 runs in the second ODI against Ireland at Lord's on Sunday to win the two-match series 2-0. Sam Billings took the gloves in both the matches against Ireland in place of Jos Buttler, who is England's regular wicketkeeper in ODIs, who missed the series because of his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments. Buttler, along with all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will be back to the national squad once IPL ends and will be with England when they continue their Champions Trophy build-up with a three-match home series against South Africa later this month. "I think there's probably not a lot between the three keepers but the amount of runs Jonny scores, it'd be hard to leave him out," Bayliss was quoted as saying by Sport24. "Every time we give him a go, he gets the job done for us," he added. Meanwhile Bairstow expressed satisfaction over his batting, saying he was pleased with the way he was striking the ball and moving at the crease. He also made it clear that he wants to be in England's squad for the Champions Trophy. "It's something I've been targeting - I want to be a part of every England side going forward," said Bairstow. "We have a heck of a lot of talent in the group, but if I put in the performances then who knows?" he added. For Bairstow, Sunday's knock was a continuation of a sensational run of form in all formats for England, one that began with his maiden Test century against South Africa at Cape Town in January 2016 and has included a tally of 1470 runs at 58.80 in the 2016 calendar year, a record for a Test wicketkeeper. However, his chances in white-ball cricket have been significantly more limited in recent times. (ANI)