Jonny Bairstow Picture Credit: ECB
With so much cricket being played across the globe, the workload on all-format players has increased enormously. As a result, some are opting to play only one or two formats. The latest cricketer to take such a decision is England all-rounder Ben Stokes who decided to retire from ODIs to prolong his career in the other two formats.
The 31-year-old clearly mentioned in his retirement note that his body is failing to cope with the workload due to playing all three formats and hence he wants to give up ODI cricket. Recently, Australia batter Usman Khawaja also echoed a similar thought saying he also does not find playing ODIs too amusing.
Meanwhile, in India, the three-format players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rohit Sharma are seeking rest every now and then. However, England batter Jonny Bairstow is enjoying the challenge of playing all three formats and even said that he loves being a part of all three squads. Jonny Bairstow also cleared his intentions stating that he will go as long as he can and has no intentions of walking the same path as his teammate.
"But you know me well enough now: I'll be trying to play all of them for as long as possible. I'll be going all out for as long as I can. There might come a time when you do have to make a decision for different reasons, but that's part and parcel of life and cricket,” said Jonny Bairstow to Sky Sports.
"In the near future I can't see me making a choice because I'm loving being part of all three squads. They're all individual squads and they're great to be a part of. It's exciting. You go into a new one and you've got a freshness and new faces and energy around them because you're going into a new format," added Jonny Bairstow.
ODI cricket is stepping stone into Test cricket: Jonny Bairstow
The Englishman also shared his views on calls of ODI cricket losing relevance and it getting scrapped. Jonny Bairstow feels the 50-over format is a stepping stone into Test cricket. "I think it is a really good format. The journey we have been on as a group to get to (winning) the 2019 World Cup was amazing.
"I also think that 50-over cricket is in some ways a stepping stone into Test cricket. You get worked over for longer, you sometimes have to grind out difficult periods and play good cricket shots. The middle overs, especially are a lot like Test cricket,” said the batter.