CRICKET: ASHES COUNTDOWN Daily Express Tuesday, July 30, 2019^61
DX1STfirst pair of ducks in his 64-Test career in
England’s victory over Ireland at Lord’s
last week.
There were some who thought
Bairstow should have followed the lead of
Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler and miss the
one-off Test at Lord’s.
But there are no regrets from the
29-year-old who got back into the
rhythm of his wicket-keeping.
“I didn’t want to be going into the first
Ashes Test having not kept,” he said.
“I wanted to get back keeping and the
rhythm of it, that was the main reason
for playing in the Ireland game.
“Keeping in white ball is different to
keeping in red ball, and I only did it in the
series against Pakistan so I needed to get
back into the rhythm.
“The shuttles, the moving, getting
your angles with the fields. I didn’t feel
like it was too much for me and that was
the first pair I’ve had in 12 years so I’ll
take that again in 12 years time.”●JONNY BAIRSTOW
trained with the
Birmingham Vision
partially sighted
cricket team
ahead of the
Specsavers
Ashes series
opener.pull it off whether it be men’s, women’s,
disability cricket or people just taking
the game up for the first time.
“There will be a longer-lasting effect
of the World Cup win beyond this
summer, but we want to win the Ashes as
well and that is the exciting part of what
is such a huge summer.”
Bairstow played a key role in England’s
maiden global 50-over tournament win
and is desperate to
enjoy more of
the same
during the
Ashes.
That is
despite
picking up
theMICHAEL SMITH
declared that he was
sick of being the sport’s
“nearly-man” after his
Betfred World
Matchplay heartache.
Smith’s 18-13 defeat
against Rob Cross in
Blackpool on Sunday
was his third major
final loss.
“I’d rather have got
beaten in the first
round than lose in the
final – it hurts less,”
said the 28-year-old.ROBERT LAMBERT
could miss the rest of
the season with a
broken back.
The Great Britain
star had to pull out
of the defence of his
British title last night
after X-rays revealed
he had fractured two
vertebrae in his spine.
He said: “I don’t
know how long I’ll be
out, it will be decided
after I get more
checks.”SPEEDWAYWORLD OF SPORT
REACH FOR
THE BARS:
Canada’s Sam
Zakutney on
the parallel
bars at the
2019 Pan-Am
Games in Lima“I’ve been playing so
well and everything
just kind of comes if
you let it happen and
stay patient,” said
Koepka.
“These last few
years have
been so
unbelievable.
It’s been an
incredible run.
“I’ve come
into my own,
figuring out
my game, especially
under the gun.”
McIlroy, who started
the final round one
stroke ahead of playing
partner Koepka, shot a
71 to finish tied fourth.I’ve had incredible
run says Koepka
BROOKS KOEPKA
says he has now come
into his own after
crushing Rory McIlroy
on his way to a
three-stroke victory at
the WGC-St Jude
Invitational in
Memphis.
Koepka
never eased
up on his
rival at TPC
Southwind as
he underlined
his status as
world No1.
The 29-year-old
American carded a
five-under 65 to claim
his first victory in the
World Golf
Championship series.GOLF
- Who has become the first Australian woman to win the French Open
tennis singles title since Margaret Court in 1973? - Which former West Ham United manager has been appointed
boss of West Bromwich Albion? - Which cricketer hit a career-best 229 for
Glamorgan in a County Championship match at
Northampton last month? - Which Everton right-back will spend next
season on loan to Schalke in the Bundesliga? - Who was disqualified for a false start in the men’s
100m final at the 2011 World Championships? - In what year did Phil Taylor win his first darts
World Professional Championship? - Which British golfer won the Masters in 2016?
- Who became the first female jockey to win
the Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance in
2015? - Which team beat Greece on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the
World Cup for the first time in 2014? - Which Japanese city hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics?
1
tackle
to
RATINGS
0-3 Oh dear
4-6 Small beer
7-9 So near
10 Sporting SeerKOEPKA1 Ashleigh Barty. 2 Slaven Bilic. 3 Billy Root. ANSWERS:4 Jonjoe Kenny. 5 Usain Bolt. 6 1990. 7 Danny Willett. 8 Michelle Payne.9 Costa Rica. 10 Nagano.I’VE GOT TASTE
FOR GLORY NOW
JONNY BAIRSTOW has urged his
team-mates to keep up the World Cup
feel-good factor in English cricket’s
biggest ever summer.
Bairstow has hardly had time to catch
his breath following the dramatic finale
that was broadcast on free-to-air TV that
helped capture the imagination of the
country.
But the wicket-keeper is confident
the World Cup legacy will not be lost if
Joe Root’s England side fail to win back
the Urn.
“I don’t think you can ever take the
memories of the World Cup win away,”
said Bairstow.
“People watching in Trafalgar Square
or in the pub or at home, the euphoria
went around the whole country.
“I don’t think that will be lost if we
didn’t win the Ashes.
“There have been series since the
2005 Ashes but everyone remembers
it fondly – there have been World Cups
since the rugby win in 2003, but the
impact of it wasn’t lost.
“The 2003 rugby team didn’t
have a huge tournament or a
different format to get
ready for two weeks after
their triumph, but that’s
the schedule we have.
“It is a really tough
challenge for us, but it
is important to keep
the momentum going
100 per cent.
“It could be the biggest summer
in the history of English cricket
if we win the Ashes and the
World Cup.
“Of course, it will have a
great effect on every level of
the game if we were able to
Bairstow ready for biggest summer ever
By Dean WilsonTOAST TO
SUCCESS:
Bairstow
is aiming
to stay
on a roll
as the
Aussies
awaitFEEL-GOOD
FACTOR:
Bairstow
believes
England
can build on
their World
Cup heroicsDARTSРЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS