Howler exposes Bairstow's frailties

One dropped catch should not spoil what has been a fantastic match so far for Jonny Bairstow at Lord's. 

However, the wicketkeeper's reprieve of Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne on 28 on the second day of this final Test was more evidence of Yorkshireman's frailties behind the stumps.

The chance Bairstow spurned off the first ball bowled by Chris Woakes in this match was simple. And it should have been taken.

Bairstow may have later snaffled a leg-side catch to dismiss Karunaratne. By then, though, he already had 50 and Sri Lanka had passed 100.

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There were mitigating circumstances relating to the earlier drop. Bairstow had just spent the best part of seven hours at the crease composing his career-best Test score of 167. 

That unbeaten knock, the second highest by an England wicketkeeper in history, had rescued Alastair Cook's side from 4-84 on day one and helped them post a first-innings total of 416.

It must have taken a lot out of Bairstow but the best keeper-batsmen in the business deal with the mental and physical rigours of the job.

There was also a significant amount of 'wobble' from the ball when it travelled from Karunaratne's edge towards Bairstow. This 'wobble' is a particularly English phenomenon, accentuated by conditions and the Duke ball used in the UK. At Lord's, with its exaggerated slope, it can be a real challenge.

Matt Prior, England’s second-best keeper-batsman of all time after Alec Stewart, explained the challenge in his autobiography, saying: "In England you can often look an idiot because of the wobble. By wobble I mean what the ball does after passing the bat, when it's ducking and weaving and it can embarrass even the best keepers. With the Duke ball we use here it can wobble a lot in England, especially at Lord's where the ball can drop by as much as a foot just about before it's about to go into the gloves."

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So Prior, a guest at Lord's on day two, ringing the famous five-minute bell before the start of play and spending time on the England team balcony, would have felt particular sympathy for Bairstow.

Yet as a player who has grown up in English conditions, 'wobble' should not be a major problem if he is indeed cut out to be a Test keeper.

Also this was not a one-off for Bairstow, whose rap sheet of dropped catches is steadily growing following a shaky series behind the stumps in South Africa, where he missed significant chances in all four Tests, and the same has happened in this current series too.

The 26-year-old may have taken nine catches in the first Test at Headingley, a match in which he also scored a century, but he continues to look far from assured behind the stumps.

It is a touchy subject for Bairstow, who more often than not is a prickly customer when interacting with journalists.

The defensiveness with which he answers queries about his keeping is perhaps a result of a deep insecurity over his abilities with the gloves at the very highest level.

Asked after Headingley if he wanted to be England’s long-term keeper, Bairstow shot back: "For the 52nd time in two weeks, I do want to keep wicket. Yes. I think this needs to be swept under the table now and put to bed. 

"I think I’ve been asked it too many times. As I’ve said numerous times before, I wouldn’t have kept wicket for Yorkshire for seven years if I didn’t want to keep wicket for England."

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There was also an awkward moment when questioned on a technical issue with his keeping. 

"In South Africa, everyone spoke about this left-hand movement with your left foot. 

"If you'd like to give me an explanation of what you think that was, I'd love to know about it because there's a lot of things that people talk about that I'd love to know about because obviously they've kept wicket for however many years and know all the technicalities of it. If people want to go into the intricacies of keeping wicket, I think it would be quite interesting."

Bairstow's touchiness can probably be explained by comments made recently by Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, when he made it clear Bairstow would be judged solely on his keeping. Farbrace said: 

"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. The wicketkeeper is picked first and foremost to take his catches and any run he scores is a bonus."

Jos Buttler, dropped as a result of poor batting form for the final Test against Pakistan in the UAE last November, is waiting in the wings and may return to the side for the home Pakistan series next month. Bairstow, as he has shown in these three Tests against Sri Lanka, is good enough to be picked as a batsman alone.

It may also solve a selection problem for England, who could move everyone up a place in the batting order when they drop No.3 Nick Compton.

Bairstow could then slot in at five as part of an explosive middle order that would include Ben Stokes at six when he returns from injury and Buttler at seven.