Gqeberha: Jonny Bairstow is relishing his return to the Sunrisers franchise, this time donning the colours of Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in the SA20, and on Wednesday night he finally produced the innings that underlined his impact. The England batter smashed an unbeaten 85 off just 45 balls as SEC cruised past Pretoria Capitals to register their third bonus-point victory of the season.
After struggling to convert starts into big scores earlier in the tournament, Bairstow’s explosive knock lit up the contest. Speaking during a select SA20 media interaction after the match, Bairstow revealed that he was eyeing something special during his assault on spinner Keshav Maharaj.
“Did it look like I went into my shell, just with a four? Yes, of course,” Bairstow said with a smile. “When you’ve got three away and you’re thinking, okay, maybe let’s try and give it a go. So yes, I was definitely trying [to hit six sixes]. Unfortunately, I got that one for four. But yes, I was definitely trying.”
Bairstow also opened up about handling pressure while playing franchise cricket across the globe. “There are different pressures,” he explained. “When you’re playing with England, there’s pressure of playing for England. When you’re playing franchise cricket, there’s pressure of being an overseas player, like people are in the IPL. But at the same time, the enjoyment factor is a huge part of why I’m still playing. And long may that continue.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, Bairstow credited the bowlers for setting up the win. “I thought the bowlers did a really good job to restrict them to that score,” he said. “Obviously, then Sherfane Rutherford finished with a quickfire 40. On a different day, with the sun not being where it was, we potentially would have got him out a bit earlier. But when we went out to bat, it was just a case of playing good cricket shots.”
Bairstow also praised opening partner Quinton de Kock, highlighting the value of his experience in South African conditions. “Quinny’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience of playing here over so many years, so it was just about tapping into that,” he added.
On their conversations in the middle, Bairstow said there wasn’t much need for discussion. “Not much, really. We’ve both played so much. There are just little bits you chat about. It’s just a case of staying as calm as possible, watching the ball and reacting.”
With Bairstow finding form at the right time, Sunrisers Eastern Cape look increasingly well-placed as the SA20 heads into its decisive phase.
