LEEDS: Yorkshire is home to legends of England cricket. Those with a nose for history can rattle off names and the list never ends. Len Hutton, Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott to Michael Vaughan, Joe Root. In different eras and over generations, the most successful team in the history of the English County Championship has produced some of the finest exponents of the game.
It is also the place where a very different story took place, of a boy whose father committed suicide. He was a decent sportsman too. David Bairstow had played four Tests and 21 ODIs, other than representing Bradford City in football. He was 46 in 1998 and apparently suffering from depression, when he took his life by hanging himself. His son Jonathan was eight at the time.
That Jonathan followed in his late father’s footsteps, as far as pursuing sports goes, and went on to do better, is the story that has played a part in reviving England’s fortunes in this World Cup. Jonny Bairstow, that boy, has been a figure on the forefront of England cricket in the last few years. Leading middle-order batsman in Tests and dynamic opener-cum-wicketkeeper in ODIs, the 29-year-old is one of the best strikers of the ball in contemporary cricket.
Director of Professional Cricket at Yorkshire, Martyn Moxon has followed Bairstow’s progress as mentor, observer and motivator. The star of England was a teenager when the former opener saw him. He credits the player’s mother Janet for what he has achieved. “She was an absolute rock. No praise is high for the way she ensured that Jonathan and his sister Becky had a normal life. Such a thing to happen was obviously traumatic and she helped the children cope with that terrible loss. His sister has also been a big support. The family has played a big part in his success.”
Among the things that Moxon noticed in a young Bairstow was his flair for sports in general, not just cricket. He was good in football and part of the academy of Leeds United. He was also good at hockey and rugby. “I won’t say he was different from other kids at our cricket academy, but it was obvious that he was very talented. Although he has never spoken a lot about it, looking back, I think sports and schoolwork played a part in him overcoming the trauma.”
After a duck in England’s opener against South Africa, Bairstow has played a key role in turning their fortunes. When the team was pushed to a corner, he made centuries against India and New Zealand, which were instrumental in setting up those wins. Other than his ability to play shots, what stands out is clarity of mind. When he decides that he is going to play a shot, there are no two ways about it. He goes through it, gives it all he has and makes solid contact with the full face of the bat.
Moxon reckons that a combination of talent and drive makes Bairstow the force he is. “We saw when he was younger that he possesses a huge amount of talent. After that, he showed he has the determination to get to the top. He has good eyes, picks length quickly and strikes it clean. There is a lot of power in his wrists, which I think has come from playing hockey. What differentiates him according to me is willpower. He doesn’t talk much but goes after what he wants with all that he has,” says the 59-year-old, who played 10 Tests and 8 ODIs.
Bairstow has added to the legends that cricket in these parts is about. A life that could have been different has become a success story, which may inspire many pegged back by misfortune early in life.