Jonny Bairstow batted with immense freedom and flamboyance after the dismissal of Ben Stokes and scored a magnificent century on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney.
He was in immense pain after copping the blow on his thumb but switched to top gear after that point to lead a brilliant rearguard action for England.
Bairstow walked out to bat when Cameron Green dismissed Dawid Malan and smashed Pat Cummins to third man boundary to reach his seventh century in the longest format. It was his seocnd Ashes hundred after a brilliant hundred in Perth in the 2017-18 series.
Bairstow’s place in the England Test side has always been a matter of debate for his underachievement in the format and he was brought into the side only after Ollie Pope failed to shine with the bat in the first two Tests of the series.
He had looked in good touch in Melbourne as well before Mitchell Starc knocked him over with a sharp rising delivery.