Ben Foakes injury: Why is Jonny Bairstow keeping wickets in ENG vs NZ 3rd Test Day 3 at Headingley?

Jonny Bairstow keeping wickets: The English batter is doubling as a wicket-keeper after scoring a mammoth Test century.

During the third day of the third Test of the ongoing New Zealand’s tour of England in Leeds, England have scored 360/10 in 67 overs to put on display a praiseworthy recovery after being reduced to 55/6 at one point in time yesterday.

A 31-run first innings lead over the Kiwis wouldn’t have been possible without a game-changing 241-run seventh-wicket partnership between batter Jonny Bairstow (162) and debutant pacer Jamie Overton (97). Bairstow’s 10th Test century and Overton’s maiden Test half-century powered them to register the highest seventh-wicket partnership for an English pair.

Resuming from their overnight score of 264/6, England scored 96 runs in the morning session today. New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who had forced a batting collapse on Day 2, was the pick of their bowlers with bowling figures of 22-4-104-4 in the first innings.

📸 A strong morning for England gives them a lead of 31 heading into the second innings. #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/5cilONS5yo

— Yorkshire CCC (@YorkshireCCC) June 25, 2022

Why is Jonny Bairstow keeping wickets on Day 3 at Headingley?

Bairstow, who has been on the field for pretty much the whole Test match now, is doubling up as a wicket-keeper in the second innings. While there has been no official statement from the team management till now, it is learnt that England wicket-keeper batter Ben Foakes has complaint of a stiff back.

As a result, Bairstow has been asked to substitute for Foakes behind the wickets. Currently playing his 86th Test match, it is noteworthy that Bairstow has played 49 Tests between 2013-2021 as a specialist wicket-keeper batter.

With England not having another specialist wicket-keeper batter in their squad, they would be hoping for Foakes’ injury to not be very serious for they are to play another Test against India from July 1.

UPDATE: Foakes has left for the team hotel and won’t be taking any further part in the match on today.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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