Jonny Bairstow needs to train with a tennis ball: Adam Gilchrist
The 51-year-old advised Bairstow to practice with a tennis ball as it helps in dealing with the bounce factor.
Crickate
Adam Gilchrist Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, advises the English camp not to fret over Jonny Bairstow's poor glovework in the first Ashes 2023 Test. The only path forward, he reiterated, is to go back to training and fix the fundamentals. However, Gilchrist proposed an intriguing idea for the England goalkeeper.
The 51-year-old suggested that Bairstow practice with a tennis ball because it aids in coping with bounce. During the Edgbaston Test, the England wicketkeeper lost a number of opportunities, including the crucial dismissal of Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. Gilly believes tennis balls are useful for practicing soft movements, particularly when keeping near to the stumps.
"They need not despair, and I suspect that they will not. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are not panic-mongers and have a great deal of faith in their team. However, Jonny has returned from an injury and will benefit from the run. In the coming week, he will work on his batting, but I'm sure he'll devote a lot of time to improving his wicketkeeping. "He's a talented athlete, but it's unusual for three or four chances to be missed behind the stumps," Gilchrist said.
Whether or not they cost England the Test match, they contributed to England's predicament. The stumping of Cam Green in the first inning, which would have put Australia at 140 for five, was fairly standard. He had a good view of the ball, which spun and bounced, but he was simply too rigid.
You can perform numerous exercises with a tennis ball while wearing only inner gloves and not your goalkeeping gloves. The Vaughan and Tuffers podcast of The Telegraph quotes Gilly as saying, "Just be extremely gentle."
I benefited from a time when wicketkeepers who batted well began to receive more playing time: Gilchrist
Several experts and supporters have questioned whether Ben Foakes should be England's first-choice stumper after observing the instances in which Jonny Bairstow failed to deliver with the wicketkeeping gloves. In a similar manner, Adam Gilchrist expressed his opinion on the subject. Gilly reminded everyone of the time when he was given the wicketkeeper position solely on the premise that he batted better than other stumpers who were in competition for the position during his era.
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In addition, the 51-year-old stated that he has been in a similar circumstance himself, so he cannot comment on Bairstow's selection dilemma.
"I don't want to cast aspersions on Jonny, it's a risk vs. reward decision, and I was the beneficiary of a time when wicketkeepers who batted well began to receive more consideration than the traditional wicketkeeper. I cannot criticize too much about this system, Gilchrist concluded.
