[WATCH] “No comment”, “the first time you’ve asked” - Stone-faced Jonny Bairstow gives cold vibes at awkward press conference after swashbuckling 99*

England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow made his appearance at an awkward press conference after Day 3 of the fourth Ashes 2023 Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday. Having smashed a brilliant 99* off 81 balls in England’s first innings, he seemed in no mood to answer questions and took open digs at the Australian media over a number of queries.

The 33-year-old has been in the news for various reasons right through the ongoing Ashes series. He was stumped in a controversial manner at Lord’s after he walked out of his crease immediately after leaving a delivery from Cameron Green. Bairstow also dropped a few catches behind the stumps and had failed to score too many runs in the previous two Tests.

Heading into the must-win encounter in Manchester, they were calls for Bairstow to be dropped. However, the England think tank backed him and he repaid their faith with a brilliant knock on Friday.

At the press conference following the end of the day’s play, Bairstow was asked about the Lord’s controversy to which he stoically replied:

“I’ve got no comment.”

Replying to another query over how his ankle was, the England keeper-batter cheekily commented:

“It’s the first time you’ve asked.”

Responding to a follow-up question on how hard it was to return to keeping, he came up with another retort.

Bairstow said in a taunting tone:

“Keeping after three years, it’s one of those things that takes time to get back to, irrelevant of the ankle. It’d be like you guys taking a three-year sabbatical and then coming back and writing to the same level - may be even three years of a bit of touch typing without a delete button and then see how that then pops us.”

The questions kept flowing and the England keeper-batter kept responding in the same tone, pointing out multiple times about the kind of stuff that has been written about him.

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Bairstow brilliance stunned Australia on Day 3 of the Manchester Test

Responding to Australia’s total of 317, England resumed their first innings on Day 3 at 384/4. Both overnight batters Harry Brook (61) and Ben Stokes (51) went on to complete their respective half-centuries before being dismissed.

Josh Hazlewood then sent back Chris Woakes (0), Mark Wood (6), and Stuart Broad (7) cheaply to complete a five-wicket haul. However, Bairstow added 66 for the last wicket with James Anderson.

The England stumper smashed 10 fours and four sixes but was stranded on 99* as Cameron Green trapped Anderson lbw.