Bairstow cleared to play in fourth Test

LONDON: Ater fracturing a finger in the third Test, England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow was on Tuesday cleared to play in the fourth Test against India starting Thursday (tomorrow).

Jos Buttler donned the gloves in the third Test after Bairstow was forced forced to leave the field when a ball caught him painfully and fractured his finger. Although he will feature at least as a specialist batsman, retaining his role as wicket-keeper is high on the Yorkshireman’s list of priorities.

“The finger feels good, the swelling has gone down, and it is a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I am going to try and keep wicket in training,” he said ahead of Thursday’s bout in Southampton.

“You obviously want to play so, if I am not able to keep wicket, then I’d like to think I would play as a batsman.”When the idea was proposed to him that he might flourish more with the bat without the added responsibility of keeping wicket, Bairstow was keen to dispel such a notion. “I think that is quite a bold statement,” he remarked.“If you look, my stats are better when I am keeping wicket as well.”