How can England compensate for Jonny Bairstow's absence in the T20 World Cup?


In what could be a massive jolt to England's T20 World Cup campaign, Jonny Bairstow was recently ruled out of the showpiece event following an injury he sustained while playing golf. 

image-l7ndtwp8Jonny Bairstow walking back after a rare failure [PC: Twitter]


Although England still have an incredibly potent batting unit, the loss of an in-form batter in a bizarre fashion a month prior to such a big event has hurt them to the core. 

In such a scenario, England are searching for ways to compensate for Bairstow's absence. 


What will England miss? 

For those who don't know, Bairstow has been England's regular number four in the shortest format since November 2020. 

Statistically, the dynamic right-handed batter averages a phenomenal 40.77 with the bat, striking at a fantastic rate of 139.54 in this approximately two-year period. So, England have indeed lost a potent middle-order batter who had made that number four position his own. 


Is Jordan Cox a suitable replacement? 

Jordan Cox, a 21-year-old batter, recently grabbed a million eyeballs by slamming 191 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 143.61

Apart from being a brute striker against pace, Cox has averaged 81.7 against two unfavourable spin matchups for a right-handed batter, i.e. left-arm off-spin and right-arm leg spin, since 2021. Additionally, his dot percentage of a mere 21.8 highlights how busy he has been in the middle against these two bowling types. 

Interestingly, Bairstow has had mediocre numbers against these two kinds of bowling, averaging just 13.8 and striking at 109.2 in T20Is since 2021. 

So, Cox is potentially an upgraded version of Bairstow against these two spin types, which most teams generally prefer to have in their T20I lineups. 


But Will England unleash Cox straightaway in a World Cup? 

This is a big question that can be answered only by the English management. It's entirely up to them whether they go with an experienced Ben Stokes, who hasn't featured in a T20I since March last year, or Cox, who hasn't played an international game at all. 

In all likelihood, England will slot Stokes in their lineup as Bairstow's replacement.

But as we know, Stokes is a tremendous pace-hitter and will be required in the latter half of the innings to bat alongside Liam Livingstone


So, what should England ideally do?

England can send Moeen Ali up the order if the opposition tries to choke them with wrist spin and left-arm spin. 

image-l7n5eyo8Moeen Ali in action [PC: Twitter]

Since 2021, Moeen has hammered 124 runs at a marvellous average of 62 and an astonishing strike rate of 169.9 against these two bowling types in T20Is. 

So, if England need someone to go bonkers against spin in the middle overs, they should send Moeen and use Stokes as a pace hitter down the order. 


When there is a will, there is a way

If England call themselves a world-class team, this is the right time for them to show the world what they are capable of, even in Bairstow's absence. Honestly, I don't think England's World Cup campaign will be affected by Bairstow's injury if they use their resources appropriately.  


Also Read: Andrew McDonald wants to Test out Australia's bench strength for next year's World Cup