Bairstow’s stumping at the hands of Alex Carey, on the final day of last summer’s second Test, is a central topic of the latest series of Australia’s fly-on-the-wall documentary “The Test”, which was released on Amazon Prime last month.
The repercussions continued throughout a thrilling Ashes series, with England recovering from a 2-0 deficit after the Lord’s Test to square the series 2-2 thanks to nailbiting victories at Headingley and The Oval. And speaking on the eve of a crucial Group B clash in Barbados, Bairstow insisted that the incident had galvanised England into an on-field response.
“I’ve not seen any of it to be quite honest with you,” he said, when asked if he’d been streaming any episodes of the documentary. “I’ve got other things that I watch on TV, I don’t need to sit and watch that in my hotel room.
“You see enough cricket when you’re involved in it day to day and playing it. But I think that post that event, the way in which we as a side reacted to that was a real positive.
“You look at the results after that thing that happened at Lord’s and I actually think that we finished that series a lot stronger than Australia did.
“Look, I think the impact it had on us as a side, the Test side, was actually a very positive effect and you can make your own assumptions as to what effect it had on Australia and their individuals.”
“I dare say this will be full and it’ll be mostly English fans, so it’ll be like playing at Headingley all over, or anywhere in England where you get sprayed,” he said.
“But just the atmosphere, the vibe of the game, there’s always a lot riding on it. As a team we always want to challenge ourselves against the best. England have been exceptional in this format for a long period of time now, so there’s certainly going to be a lot on the game and we’re pumped.”
“It doesn’t derail us either way. We know we’ve got to win more games than we lose in tournament cricket,” he said. “A win puts you in a position in the group which is obviously more favourable but the other two games after this are must-win games anyway. But it would be good for momentum and confidence.
“England versus Australia is always a great occasion. Two very good teams going toe-to-toe. It’s going to be an exciting spectacle.
“Hopefully it will be a fantastic atmosphere like it always is in Barbados and the best side will come out on top.”
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