England cricket coach Andy Flower was simply blown away by Jonny Bairstow’s quickfire innings of 41 against India in the final ODI and said it was the best international debut he has seen.
Bairstow’s 21-ball knock was crucial in ensuring an England victory while the team chased a rather stiff target of 241 in 34 overs in the rain-curtailed match.
“He (Bairstow) threw himself around in the field in a manner which suggested that he was up for the battle and that he was willing to put himself on the line,” Flower was quoted as saying by the newspaper here.
“He batted with amazing composure. I liked the blend of boundary-hitting - very clean, very impressive boundary-hitting - with the times when the ball wasn’t in the right slot and he knocked a beautiful one or two.
“I can’t remember a debut like that,” he added,
But Flower cautioned against expecting too much from the 21-year-old.
”I agree completely that we shouldn’t get overly excited. He should be very proud of his performance and it is great to make an impact in international cricket straightaway but let’s all keep level heads about it.
“One of the things I liked was the way he spoke at the post-match press conference. He was very humble and showed he did have his feet firmly on the floor,” he said.
England whitewashed India 4-0 in the Test series before clinching the five-ODI series 3-0.
The first ODI was washed out and another, also rain-affected, ended in a tie.
