Jonny Bairstow hammers his fourth ODI World Cup fifty
England opener Jonny Bairstow played a fluent knock against Pakistan in match 44 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Kolkata. Bairstow slammed his only second fifty in the ongoing tournament. His 61-ball 59 was laced with seven boundaries and a solitary six. The veteran batter gave England a good start as they were 108/2 when he returned to the pavilion.
A fine hand from Bairstow
Bairstow opened the England innings with Dawid Malan and the two batters added 82 runs in 13.3 overs before the latter was dismissed. They gave the Three Lions a fine start. The 34-year-old was very comfortable on the crease as he took his time to reach the 50-run mark. He played his shots with great fluency until he fell to Haris Rauf.
A look at his ODI numbers
With this knock, Bairstow has raced to 3,868 runs in 107 ODIs at an average of 42.97. This was his 17th ODI fifty and his second half-century in the ongoing tournament. Bairstow has surpassed 200 runs (215) in this World Cup at an average of 23.88. Overall, Bairstow has compiled 747 runs in the ODI World Cup. He owns four fifties and two centuries.
Bairstow averages 19.50 in ODIs this year
Bairstow being one of England's stalwarts in limited-overs cricket has struggled majorly this year with only 234 runs from 12 matches at a poor average of 19.50. He has only slammed two fifties and both came in the ongoing World Cup. Known for his attacking game, Bairstow has only smashed three sixes in ODIs this year.
Second 50-plus partnership for England openers in 2023 World Cup
This is only the second 50-plus opening partnership for England in this World Cup. Their first 50-plus opening stand was against Bangladesh in their second game when the openers added 115 runs. Notably, Bairstow also completed 400 runs against Pakistan (439) at 54.87.
