Yorkshire v Worcs (day 1): Brilliant Bairstow can no longer be ignored by England

I note from dispatches that your top-order batsmen seem to be struggling.

Indeed, it appears that you are three-down for not very many on a regular basis.

But I have some good news for you.

There is a chap at Yorkshire called Jonny Bairstow who can bat a bit.

In fact, he has scored 906 runs in the County Championship this summer at an average of 100.66.

His sequence of scores in the competition reads: 102, 59, 50, 66, 125*, 0, 15, 219*, 108, 23 and 139.

I would therefore be most grateful if you could get him into your team for the third Ashes Test starting at Edgbaston on Wednesday week.

His record would demand nothing less.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Waters

AT the risk of being accused of bias, the case for Jonny Bairstow is incontrovertible.

His outstanding record speaks for itself.

As Yorkshire scored 357-5 on the opening day, Bairstow furthered already compelling claims with an innings of 139, his fifth century in 11 Championship innings to go with three fifties.

It is a record that cannot be ignored by any fair-minded hierarchy.

Not that Bairstow would bang his own drum.

After recording his 16th first-class hundred, he played down talk concerning an England recall as skilfully as he played with a bat in his hand.

“I think it’s time for us to get behind the (England) lads,” said Bairstow, who received staunch support from captain Andrew Gale, who scored an unbeaten 127, the pair adding 254 for the fourth-wicket.

“It was only a week ago that people were right behind them after the win in Cardiff, and it’s very fickle of people to be saying there needs to be this and that.