National selector Ed Smith insisted the door was not shut on Jonny Bairstow’s Test ambitions after he was left out of England’s 13-man squad for Wednesday’s series opener against West Indies. National selector Ed Smith insisted the door was not shut on Jonny Bairstow’s Test ambitionsBairstow was absent entirely from the group named ahead of the first Test against West IndiesFor the 30-year-old Bairstow, though, the path back to the Test team looks scattered with obstacles. ‘We’re fully aware of what he can do in Test cricket, and of his talent in all forms of the game. Of the first-choice 13, the biggest challenge facing stand-in captain Ben Stokes will be how to squeeze five seamers into three, assuming Bess is an automatic pick as the only spinner. ‘We’re moving towards that point now in Test cricket, where a lot of the conversations are around how it’s hard to leave that guy out.’

Source: Daily Mail July 04, 2020 17:38 UTC