Jonny Bairstow credits IPL teammate David Warner for raising his game

Following his stunning match-winning century against Pakistan in the third ODI, England star Jonny Bairstow said playing alongside his Ashes rival David Warner in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped his game up the ante. Bairstow was an absolute revelation for Sunrisers Hyderabad as he and Warner formed a deadly partnership at the top of the order. By the time he left India, he was the second highest run-scorer, having scored more than 400 runs including a breathtaking century.

Bairstow has continued his form in international cricket too as he blew away Pakistan in the third ODI. Many would have expected a tight contest after Pakistan ended up scoring a mammoth 358 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs. Opener Imam-ul-Haq starred with the bat by scoring a career-best 151. However, the chase turned out to be a stroll in the park for England as Bairstow led the charge with a whirlwind century.

Bairstow struck a blistering 128 off 93 as England bulldozed Pakistan by six wickets to go two-nil up in the five-match series with two more to play. There were also notable contributions from Jason Roy (76 ), Joe Root (43) and an unbeaten 46 by Moeen Ali. The chase was also England’s second-highest run-chase in ODIs and best at home as they completed the target with more than five overs to spare.

Following the game, Bairstow spoke about the importance of spending time with Warner in the IPL. The wicketkeeper-batsman said he learned new things from Warner as well as others in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team.

“You’re able to learn different things from different coaches and different players,” said Bairstow.

“It’s just little things like game plans,” Bairstow added. “He (Warner) hits in completely different areas to potentially myself. I guess it’s method more than anything else. But learning from them, as well as the guys here, that can only be a good thing playing under pressure with expectation.”

Unsatisfied Bairstow

Despite notching up an impressive century, Bairstow was not all pleased when his innings came to an end. The in-form batsman had played on to Junaid Khan and did not refrain from venting his anger for not taking his team over the line. Explaining his action, Bairstow said he wanted to take the team over the line during the chase.

“I was cross because you want to see that through,” Bairstow said.

“You want to be going on and getting 160 or 170, and potentially 200 and seeing your team through. That’s where we’re at as a group of players at the moment, having a competition to go and get the 150s and 160s and beyond. We are backing ourselves and competition is healthy all the way through. That’s a good place to be and I was cross about it,” he added.

[interaction id=”5cdad1a3df3c8d65e186cf16″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the T20 Mumbai League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.