'I've got some sympathies for Ben' - Jonny Bairstow after replacing Ben Foakes in England Test squad

England will kickstart their preparations for the upcoming Ashes by playing a one-off test against Ireland which is scheduled to start on June 1. This one-off match is expected to help the English side boost their preparations ahead of the Ashes which will commence from June 16^th.

England have hence announced their 15-man squad which will be facing Ireland in this one-off test. Ben Stokes will be seen leading the English side with Ollie Pope as his deputy. Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach made their return to the test squad while surprisingly Ben Foakes was left out. It is quite astonishing because Foakes has been playing on a continuous basis for England in tests. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, Jonny Bairstow said that he obviously had sympathy for Ben Foakes as Ben had been an integral part of the team for the last 12 months. The 33-year-old even said that he knew exactly how Ben would be feeling as he himself had earlier been in that position. The wicketkeeper batter even showed faith in Foakes, believing that he would be back into the squad sooner than later.

"It's something which is never easy and I've been on the end of it, so absolutely I've got some sympathies for Ben. I've no doubts he'll be back in the fold at some point soon," Bairstow was reported as saying by Sky Sports.

"He's been an integral part of the last 12 months and how he's gone about it," he added.

England will be hosting Ireland for a 4-day test match, which will be played at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London from 1^st June 2023 to 4^th June 2023. 

Bairstow return to England Squad

After suffering a broken left leg and dislocated ankle, Jonny Bairstow has been re-inducted into England's test team. With only one month left in the Ashes Series, Bairstow's return to the England team is great news for all the English fans. The right-handed batter has an outstanding record in test cricket. He has played a total of 89 test matches for England scoring 5482 runs at an average of 37.04 with 12 hundreds and 23 half centuries to his name.

In England’s quest for regaining the Ashes, Bairstow would play a pivotal role.