Goalkeeping work helps Bairstow balance

Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has hailed Jonny Bairstow for the improvement in his wicketkeeping since the tour of South Africa and pinpointed work he did with Newcastle United football club.

Bairstow was awarded the Man-of-the-Match award after the first Investec Test for a performance that included the only century of the game and nine catches behind the stumps. It was the second time in three Tests that Bairstow has claimed nine catches.

But there were also several drops during the series in South Africa and Bairstow went into the Test against Sri Lanka with questions to answer about his suitability for the gloves. While one chance still went down on the third day, it was a performance that greatly encouraged Farbrace, a former wicketkeeper with Kent and Middlesex.

Specifically, Farbrace felt Bairstow’s balance behind the stumps was much improved and credited England’s wicketkeeping coach, Bruce French, and a session spent with Newcastle learning tips from their goalkeepers for the progression.

“The challenge we set him after South Africa was that you will play the Sri Lanka series and you will have the gloves, but we want a consistent wicketkeeper,” Farbrace said. “The wicketkeeper is picked first and foremost to take his catches and any run he scores is a bonus. The keeper sets the trend and the fielding level so if he is taking his catches everyone else takes confidence from that.

“In South Africa he looked unbalanced. Predominantly he stood a fraction too wide and therefore, as the ball was delivered into the line of off stump and took the outside edge, his first movement was on to his left foot.

“If you get a nick from there you’re off balance. You are diving backwards and the shape of your hand is almost behind you. When set still you can dive forwards and sideways and then your full hand is facing the ball. The only chance he dropped in this game he got done by the angle of the ball. The rest of the game, I thought he kept incredibly well.

“I honestly think in the two months he has been away from South Africa he has worked hard on his game. He looked balanced and he looked very strong in his movements.

“He and Bruce French have worked hard and that has really helped him. It is much easier to concentrate if you think you are …

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