Ashes antagonist to Renegade: Bairstow bound for Big Bash

Jonny Bairstow is used to being treated as the villain by Australian fans. Now, at least, he'll have some cheering for him after signing with Melbourne Renegades for KFC BBL|16.

Having played T20 cricket around the world across a 17-year career, including in the Indian Premier League, South Africa, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, this summer will mark the 37-year-old's first foray into the Big Bash, joining former skipper Ben Stokes as the tournament's marquee English recruits.

The damaging wicketkeeper-batter fills a hole in the top order and behind the stumps for the Renegades following New Zealander Tim Seifert's defection to the Sydney Sixers on a lucrative deal understood to be worth more than $400,000 for the season.

Bairstow is no stranger to Australian conditions though, having been part of England's Ashes tours in 2013-14, '17-18 and '21-22, scoring centuries at the WACA Ground and SCG, as well as 56-ball 60 in Brisbane during a 4-1 ODI series win in 2018.

The right-hander will be hoping to win over Aussie crowds like Stuart Broad did during a commentary stint with Channel Seven last summer after assuming chief antagonist with his reaction to being stumped by Alex Carey when he wandered out of his crease at Lord's in 2023.

While Bairstow is unlikely to renew his rivalry with Carey this summer given Australia's heavy Test schedule will keep him from turning out for Adelaide Strikers, the Yorkshireman is set to come face-to-face with some familiar Ashes foes with David Warner (Sydney Thunder) and Usman Khawaja (Brisbane Heat) the captains of their respective BBL teams.

Peter Siddle, who dismissed Bairstow at the SCG in 2014 during England's 0-5 Ashes defeat, is also part of the Melbourne Stars outfit for BBL|16.

"There's been some great battles, hasn't there, over many years, in all formats," Bairstow told cricket.com.au from his home in Yorkshire.

"Australian fans enjoy people that get stuck in and are very passionate about playing cricket and want to win, and that's something wholeheartedly I can say that I've done over my career.

"The reaction from the Renegades fans I'm sure will be pretty good, and by the other fans as well, there will be some fun along the way, there's bound to be, but that's part and parcel of playing as an overseas in the Big Bash."

Bairstow added he's preparing for the Carey stumping to be a frequent topic once he lands Down Under in December.

"But that was (three) years ago now, there's a lot of water that's passed under the bridge," he said.

"It's obviously still talked about, which is something that you can look back on in Ashes series gone by and there's always bits that are talked about and that will continue to be the case over a long period of time … I'm sure it will be taken in the right way."

Bairstow hasn't played for England since their T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India in 2024 and was dropped from their Test side after notching exactly 100 caps in favour of Jamie Smith as part of a shake-up ahead of last summer's disastrous Ashes tour.

He has continued to play domestically, captaining Yorkshire to this year's T20 Blast quarterfinals where he scored 384 runs at a strike rate better than 140. In the Hundred, he moved to the London Spirit after five years with Welsh Fire, scoring 136 runs in seven innings opening the batting.

Just last week, Bairstow finished the English season with a one-handed six over cover to secure his county a thrilling one-wicket win against 2025 division one champions Nottinghamshire.

Bairstow has spent the past two southern summers playing in South Africa's T20 franchise league but said the Big Bash had always been a competition he'd wanted to play in.

He had previously signed with the Stars for BBL|10 but never made it out for the season after being recalled to England's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka.

"Mick Lewis is over at Yorkshire as our bowling coach and he's obviously got a strong affiliation with Melbourne and knows a few guys pretty well. So Clint McKay ('Gades high performance manager), who I played with when he came over to Yorkshire (in 2010), reached out," explained Bairstow of how he signed with the club.

"To call the MCG my home ground (this season) is great.

"In 2013, there were (91,092) in on day one (of the Boxing Day Test, Bairstow's first match in Australia). It was absolutely epic.

"Of sporting stadiums around the world that you want to play in, that's definitely in the top few."

Bairstow, who played seven games alongside Renegades captain Will Sutherland in the 2025 T20 Blast, represented his country in 80 T20 internationals across a span of more than 12 years.

Overall, from 285 matches in the T20 format, Bairstow has 6,921 runs at 30 with five centuries, including two in the IPL – 114 off 56 for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019 and 108no off 48 for Punjab Kings in 2024.

"I'm looking forward to playing with 'Sutho' again, when he came to Yorkshire he was great to play alongside," Bairstow said. "We've got (Jake) Fraser-McGurk as well, who has been striking it really nicely early in the summer (in one-dayers for South Australia)."

Bairstow will be available for the full season and is set to link up with the 'Gades squad in Chennai ahead of the landmark season opener against Perth Scorchers.

Melbourne Renegades BBL|16 squad (so far)

Contracted for BBL|16: Michael Archer (contracted until BBL|16), Jonny Bairstow (BBL|16), Jason Behrendorff (BBL|17), Josh Brown (BBL|17), Harry Dixon (BBL|16), Brendan Doggett (BBL|16), Sam Elliott (BBL|16), Jake Fraser-McGurk (BBL|17), Caleb Jewell (BBL|16), Ollie Peake (BBL|17), Tom Rogers (BBL|16), Callum Stow (BBL|16), Will Sutherland (BBL|17)

 

Ins: Jonny Bairstow (England), Michael Archer

 

Outs: Fergus O'Neill (Sydney Sixers), Andrew Tye (retired), Adam Zampa (Hurricanes), Tim Seifert (Sixers)

 

Uncontracted: Hassan Khan (Pakistan), Muhammad Rizwan (Pakistan), Nathan Lyon, Will Salzmann, Gurinder Sandhu, Matthew Spoors

 

Head coach: Luke Ronchi