Sri Lanka vs England 2018: Jonny Bairstow Set to Miss First Test

England skipper Joe Root admitted Jonny Bairstow is in serious doubt for the first Test against Sri Lanka due to his ankle injury and Jos Buttler is likely to take in charge of wicket-keeping duties. However, Bairstow hurt the ankle ligaments during a football practice before the fourth ODI in Kandy.

We will miss Jonny in the first Test – Root

When asked whether Bairstow could recover himself before the first Test, which begins on November 6th, Root says his absence would be a big loss for the visitors.

“I think so. Jonny would be a big loss but we’ve got some great players that can come in.” Joe Root said.

Meanwhile, England won the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 3-1. Jonny Bairstow was the part of the first three games where he scored 55 runs. However, England will start their first of the two two-day practice matches on Tuesday.

Moreover, preparations are being overshadowed by increasing political unrest in Sri Lanka after President Maithripala Sirisena ousted Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe last Friday. England, on Monday, confirmed they have stepped up security around the team.

Jonny Bairstow also missed the fourth ODI match after hurting his right ankle while playing football on the eve of the game and was taken for a scan in Colombo on Sunday. The wicketkeeper-batsman was told he would not be available for the final match of the series on Tuesday or the stand-alone Twenty20 which followed three days later.

Moreover, Eion Morgan said football practice should not be banned after Bairstow hurt himself during the training. It is the much loved warm-up game, and several players took part in the game. However, Jonny Bairstow has been in sensational form since the Test series against India.

The right-hand batsman previously scored 230 runs from five Test matches. He also had scored two half-centuries and missed his sixth century only short of seven runs in the second Test in Lords. Furthermore, Jonny Bairstow so far had played 59 Test matches and had scored 3571 runs averaging 37.19.