Jonny Bairstow aims to take SRH close to playoffs before leaving for England duty

England batsman Jonny Bairstow has done well with his Australian opening partner David Warner for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. His knock of 61 not out against table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) that brought Hyderabad back to the winning ways after three consecutive losses earned him praise, even from team mentor VVS Laxman. The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 365 runs from eight games this season at an average of 52 plus and strike rate of 153 plus. He has also hit a hundred in what is his maiden IPL season.

Bairstow will not play the whole season this year as he will head home for the national team’s World Cup camp ahead of the tournament. However, Bairstow hopes to help SRH win their next two games to make it closer to the playoffs. The 2016 champions will be playing a beleaguered Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad on April 21 and the CSK in Chennai on April 23. They are currently ranked fifth in the points table with eight points from as many matches.

In-form Bairstow will be playing in SRH’s next two games

Bairstow, who has been named in England’s preliminary 15-man squad for the WC, said: “So far it has gone well. To be in teh top five leading scorers… it is really very pleasing. Hopefully I can finish on a high in the next two games as well and we could be in the position to make the play-offs by the time I live,” the English star mentioned on the eve of the home game against the KKR, who lost their fourth consecutive game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

Bairstow is currently the fifth highest run-getter in IPL 2019 and his absence will be unsettling of sort for the SRH. All England players featuring in the IPL are supposed to return for their WC conditioning camp. The camp will be followed by a one-off ODI against Ireland after which England will play a five-ODI series against Pakistan and T20I. They will meet South Africa in the opener of the WC at the Oval on May 30.

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