Despite having a 2-0 lead in the 5-match Test series against India, nothing seems to be going in England favor in the third Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The hosts suffered a huge blow on Day 3 of the Test when their in-form wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow suffered a nasty blow when he was hit on the middle finger of his left hand while keeping wickets to fast bowler James Anderson.
Bairstow was looking in unbearable pain the moment the ball hit him and was rushed to the hospital for further scans. Later England Cricket confirmed that e has sustained a fracture to the tip of his left middle finger. Jonny said that the first 30 seconds after the ball struck him were “horrendous” but was hopeful that with a bit more ice overnight things might improve.
Talking about his injury further, Bairstow said, “It wobbled and I just copped it on the end [of my finger]. It is part and parcel of this job. We’re going to see how it is in the morning. It is a fracture, but it’s not displaced, and that’s a big thing. We’re hopeful, with a bit more ice overnight and some protection. The first 30 seconds were pretty horrendous. The pace of the pitch has improved. They left the ball well, and we know if we’re going to save or win this game that’s exactly what we have to do.”
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England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace confirmed that wicket-keeper batsman will bat if needed but was unclear on the wicket-keeper batsman’s participation for the last two Tests.
Paul said,”The doctor’s been working on him this evening to relieve a bit of pressure in the nail, so hopefully when needed he’ll be OK. A lot will depend on how the next few days go, and the soreness in terms of catching balls on a consistent basis. I’m no expert on broken fingers, but because it’s not a displaced break, he should be OK, and it’s just a case of managing the pain level as opposed to doing any further damage.”
In 2018 Bairstow is in form of his life across formats and in the first Test of the series, he scored a crucial 70 to help his team reach a decent total. even in the Lord’s Test, it was his 189-run stand with Chris Woakes (137*) that helped England take a match-winning 289-run lead. With England down in the dumps needing a further 498 runs to win the third Test and the series with two days to go, Bairstow’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the hosts.
