Stuart Broad comes out in support of Jonny Bairstow after Michael Vaughan’s criticism

England’s former skipper, Michael Vaughan slammed Jonny Bairstow for his dismissal in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. In pursuit of a 277-run total in the fourth innings, England were in trouble when Jonny Bairstow walked out to the middle. England, at that stage, had lost 3 wickets for just 46 runs on the board.

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Bairstow was expected to play cautiously and build his innings steadily. However, he counter-attacked straightway and picked up three boundaries off Trent Boult. He couldn’t continue his fireworks for too long as he got out to Kyle Jamieson off the final ball of an excellent spell. The English cricketer looked to drive the ball for a boundary but, instead, got bowled through the gate. He got out for 16, leaving England in all sorts of trouble at 69 for 4.

Michael Vaughan was critical of his dismissal. Speaking on commentary for BBC Test match Special, Vaughan questioned Jonny Bairstow’s approach.

"I am sorry but that is dumb," Vaughan said.

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"That is pathetic. You know it is going to be Jamieson's last ball of a terrific spell.

"There was a bit of nip. It is an OK delivery. But when you are throwing your hands at a ball with a gap between bat and pad that you and I could swim through. You can have all the preparation and team meetings but until you play smart... See him off. Get rid of him. Play a defensive shot. It is just dumb." He added.

England’s fast bowler, Stuart Broad has now come in support of Jonny Bairstow, stating that Bairstow should be pleased with the way he batted.

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"As Ben Stokes said, he makes players feel 10ft tall, filling them with confidence but also expects the players to take their own responsibility. Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

"You could see that in the way that Bairstow batted on Saturday. Sure, he didn't get as many runs as he would have liked but he could be happy that he committed to a certain way of playing and didn't alter that." He added.