Welsh Fire to miss the services of Jonny Bairstow in the Hundred 2022

Bairstow in action for Welsh Fire

On Tuesday (2 August), Jonny Bairstow pulled out of the Hundred Men's competition to rest ahead of the South Africa Test series later this month. 

The Hundred is slated to begin on Wednesday, with Southern Brave facing the Welsh Fire. Interestingly, Bairstow was due to captain Fire this season. However, with this announcement, Josh Cobb will be donning the lead role for the team. 

In the last season, Bairstow could feature in only two matches and scored 128 runs at a strike rate of 170.66. 

Bairstow calls for a breather

The Yorkshire batter had been playing continuous cricket for the last four months. After featuring in the Indian Premier League, he played a bilateral series against New Zealand, India, and the white-ball leg of the South Africa series. 

Furthermore, Bairstow was awarded the ICC Player of the Month for June for his incredible performances. Hence, the prolific batter has opted to take a rest and effectively manage his workload. 

“I’m really disappointed I won’t be part of the Hundred this year,” he said. “I loved it last year, but I’ve had a hectic few months with the schedule as it is and I really need to take a breather before the South Africa series.” 

English Test Players in the Hundred 2022

Last month, the Three Lions red-ball captain Ben Stokes had also pulled out of The Hundred to focus on the Test format. 

The pace bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad will not be a part of ECB's showpiece event as well. 

However, England's key batters Joe Root and Ollie Pope will feature for Trent Rockets and Fire respectively before joining up with the national team. 

The three-match red-ball series against the Proteas will commence on 17th August at Lord's. 

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