The Ashes 2023

‘Ek hi thokar me chalnaa seekh gaya..’ – Fans react to Jonny Bairstow’s gesture on day one of Headingley Test

Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were extra cautious on the first day of the third Ashes Test.

Jul 7, 2023 2:13 pm

The stumping dismissal of Jonny Bairstow was the talking point amongst almost everyone in England and Australia after the Lord’s Test. As England lost the Test, Bairstow’s dismissal and the spirit of the game arguments were discussed by fans, cricket experts, former players, media people, and even the Prime ministers of the country. The attention went to an unnecessary event and the performance of many individuals in the Test was overshadowed by the incident.

Following the dismissal, it looked like the English players were a bit more cautious on the first day of the third test of the series in Headingley. In a must-win game, English batters in the middle were always looking at the crease after each ball was delivered. The likes of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow repeatedly looked back at the crease after playing the deliveries and confirmed their stance in the crease with the Australian players before leaving the crease.

Jonny Bairstow’s gesture to Australian players

Jonny Bairstow indicated to the Australian players after every delivery that he was well inside the crease. In particular, Bairstow looked at the wicketkeeper Alex Carey and signalled he was inside the crease. Reacting to the gesture, the players in the Australian slip cordon laughed about it. Alex Carey and Steve Smith laughed about the actions of Bairstow. The crowd found their voice whenever Bairstow signalled the gesture to the Australian players. Even the English players in the dugout laughed about it.

Towards the end of the day, Joe Root and Bairstow played out the dangerous last spell from the Australian bowlers, who were on fire with the ball. The English bowlers bowled well on the first day, barring the period where Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head got going. England dismissed Australia for just 263 runs in 60.4 overs. England finished day 1 of the third Test at 68/3. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are currently in the middle. The remainder of the Test promises to be a fascinating contest between the teams.