JONNY BAIRSTOW is being backed by Yorkshire pal Joe Root to become a superstar white-ball opener.
England Test skipper Root provided a ringing endorsement after Bairstow scored his maiden one-day international century against West Indies on Tuesday.
It came the day after one-day captain Eoin Morgan promised Bairstow an extended run as Alex Hales’ opening partner in the 50-over team.
Bairstow will get another opportunity today in the second game of the five-match series at Trent Bridge.
Root said: “The best thing about Jonny is that he can bat anywhere in the top six.
“He has a great game — a brilliant power game where he can be destructive at the end of an innings or in the power play at the start.
“He also rotates the strike very well.
“He’s very quick between the wickets, always putting fielders and bowlers under pressure and it makes batting with him a lot easier.
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“He did that really well at Old Trafford on Tuesday, picking up every single and really challenging the fielders on the rope and getting twos and threes when we could.
“Running between the wickets is such an important part of one-day cricket, it’s vital to try to scrape every run.
“For a bowler, it’s so frustrating when you feel like you’re bowling good deliveries but are still giving away singles, together with some boundaries.
“So, instead of going at four an over, you end up going at seven, eight or nine.”
Bairstow, 27, finished exactly 100 not out and celebrated his century with the joy of a man who knew it was a significant career moment.
Now Surrey’s out-of-form batsman Jason Roy faces a lengthy time on the sidelines, although he might still remain as England’s opener in Twenty20 cricket.
Test wicketkeeper/batsman Bairstow seized his opportunity with an aggressive 97-ball century that swept England to a seven-wicket win with more than 11 overs to spare.
Root added: “Jonny was outstanding to be not out at the end of the match — that’s what you pride yourself on in a run chase.
“He was very switched on in the middle and you could see how much it meant to him.
“You look at the guys missing out — not just Jason Roy but in all departments of the team — and it shows there’s strength in depth across the board in white-ball cricket.
“It really keeps the guys on their toes.”
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