Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow has hailed the capabilities of Will Luxton after batting with the youngster, who hit an unbeaten 90 not out in the Roses win last night.
Jonny Bairstow blasted Lancashire all over Emirates Old Trafford last night but was quick to hail the talent of the man he batted with for longest across the Pennines, Will Luxton.
Bairstow smashed a career best 116 off 54 balls, underpinning the county’s unassailable 236-6 total, to which Luxton also contributed a scintillating 90 not out off 46 balls.
The pair shared a brilliant 167 partnership for the second-wicket, Yorkshire’s highest ever stand for any wicket in Vitality Blast history.
Bairstow’s capabilities are well known the world over. That was the 35-year-old’s fifth career T20 century.
Luxton’s less so. He is only 22, but he is emerging as quite the player.
He has now scored 316 runs from 11 matches, including three half-centuries in this season’s campaign. Ahead of 2025, he had not scored a T20 fifty.
On last night’s innings, he said: “He’s threatened to do it, hasn’t he.
“You look at the cameos that he’s played, and how he’s struck the ball, there’s been hints of this coming over a little period of time.
“There’s no reason why – if he keeps learning, keeps progressing and keeps developing his game – he can’t take that next step because the way in which he strikes the ball, there is a difference (to some other players).”
Bairstow was speaking as he looked back at the Roses win but also ahead to tomorrow’s clash with Derbyshire Falcons at Headingley, starting at 3pm.
It’s the second part of a Blast double header day with Yorkshire’s women, who host Northamptonshire Steelbacks from 11am.
Yorkshire’s 19-run success across the Pennines has kept their slim hopes of quarter-final qualification alive. In pursuit of a top-four finish, they sit eighth in the North Group with 16 points, 12 adrift of fourth-placed Northamptonshire Steelbacks with as many to play for in the remaining three games.
It will take a miracle for Yorkshire to qualify, but mathematically it’s not impossible.
Bairstow’s knock was his first century of the summer in any format.
“I’m really happy with the way that I’m striking the ball,” he said. “I’m playing nicely.
“I went out to the IPL and scored the runs out there. I was really pleased with how I struck the ball.
“I came back and batted in the middle order because that was the right thing to do for the group
“But I’m relishing being back at the top of the order.
“It’s my best position and has been, whether it’s been for England in the IPL or for Yorkshire.”
Even if Yorkshire don’t qualify, tomorrow is an important step on their path to improvement in this format. So often down the years have the county won big games but stumbled almost immediately.
“The ability, there is no question,” said Bairstow. “The lads have got the ability. But it’s just that understanding and game awareness in different circumstances.
“That comes with playing the game, that comes with making mistakes.
“But when you make mistakes, you’ve got to learn.
“Look, we’re trying to get better each time, we’re trying to learn faster and faster.”
Yorkshire face a Derbyshire side who sit bottom of the table with three wins from 12 games.
It hurt the White Rose that one of those was at Chesterfield last Sunday, the Falcons chasing down a 201-target to win by seven wickets with 16 balls remaining.
As Bairstow said last night, “We need to put right what we didn’t do right at Chesterfield”.
Since beating Yorkshire last weekend, Derbyshire have lost their last two games on Thursday and Friday, against Worcestershire at home and Northamptonshire away.
Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow celebrates his Roses century last night. He will aim for more of the same against Derbyshire at Headingley tomorrow.
