Cricket: Why England should stick with Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has earned his opportunity at Test level

It hasn't taken long for some people to write off Jonny Bairstow's chances of succeeding at international level.

He has only had two Test innings and looked shaky in the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, where he was dismissed for 4.

But to write off his chances already would be foolish.

Bairstow was given a thorough working over by Kemar Roach in Nottingham, and struggled intensely against the short ball, but must be given a chance to prove himself at the highest level.

As has been pointed out, the 22-year-old hasn't faced too much express pace bowling at county level, so he needs to be given time to adjust.

Sending him back to Yorkshire and county cricket would do more harm than good.

He has earned his chance to play Test cricket and two shaky innings should not be allowed to define the selectors' views of him.

Every batsman will struggle against the short ball at some point in their career and it just so happens that Bairstow has experienced this early.

Roach's success in bowling short at him will surely lead to Bairstow being targeted by the short delivery, much like Australia's Phil Hughes was after struggling in the 2009 Ashes series.

If Bairstow struggles over a sustained period against short bowling, then the selectors will have a decision to make.

However, he has at least earned a full series against the West Indies to prove himself, and he is likely to be picked for the subsequent one-day series with the Windies and then Australia.

If he is still struggling with the short ball then, he could be taken out of the firing line for the Test series against South Africa and their stable of quality fast bowlers, which includes Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.

Until then, though, he should not be judged too harshly.

Bairstow is up against a fantastic bowler in Roach and is understandably nervous in the early days of his international career, but has been in great form this season.

Roach has been impressive - except for a number of issues with no-balls - so far in this series

He has two county championship centuries to his name in 2012, while he also impressed at international level with a score of 60 not out in a T20 against Pakistan in February.

Bairstow wouldn't have got as far as he has now without mental toughness and talent with the bat.

He clearly has the ability and while he will have to improve on his two displays against the West Indies so far, he should see this tricky period out.

He is batting at number six for England and that is the one position which they have struggled to fill in the successful years under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower.

Paul Collingwood struggled in the latter days of his England career while Eoin Morgan found it difficult to make the step up from one-day level to the longer form of the game.

The same may be true of Bairstow, but he needs to be given a fair chance to prove he belongs at Test level.

If Bairstow does eventually fail, Ravi Bopara is waiting in the wings after a period of good form for Essex (although he has been in poor nick since recovering from injury recently), while Morgan still has the potential to become a Test-class batsman, so England have plenty of middle-order options.

However, Bairstow is the man in possession of the shirt and will be eager to prove himself in the third Test against the Windies at Edgbaston.

With the series already wrapped up, it will give him a chance to relax and produce his best form in Birmingham.

Roach and co are sure to target him again, so it is time for Bairstow to show his worth, demonstrate his talent and make himself impossible to drop.

He has been released to play for Yorkshire in the County Championship this week and is sure to be working on improving his technique against short-pitched bowling, but he should not be overly worried.

If anything, this tough introduction into Test cricket could work in his favour.

He now knows - if he was in any doubt - the gulf in quality between county cricket and Test cricket is large, and should enjoy the challenge of improving his technique.

However, Bairstow should not lose sight of the qualities which have got him this far, and concentrate on the positives of his game.

If he takes his eye off the ball and concentrates too much on improving his ability to play the short ball, he risks other parts of his game declining.

The pressure-cooker atmosphere of Test cricket is hard enough to cope with without over-complicating things.

Bairstow will have to find an answer to the short ball, of course, but time should be on his side.

Two Test innings do not make a player's career. They should not be allowed to break one, either.