Jonny Bairstow gave England an unwelcome injury scare, sustaining a fractured finger before lunch on the third day at Trent Bridge as England desperately tried to make inroads into India.
Bairstow was struck on the left hand in the 44th over after Cheteshwar Pujara left a James Anderson ball that swerved significantly. The blow clearly left the wicketkeeper in intense pain as he rolled on the ground, clutching his injured hand.
Jos Buttler took the gloves for Englnad as Bairstow was taken to hospital for scans, which revealed a “small fracture” to the middle finger of his left hand, according to the ECB.
Upon his return to the ground, Bairstow sat on the balcony of the home dressing room with his left hand plunged into a pint glass filled with ice. It remained unclear during the afternoon session if Bairstow would take the field once more but an ECB spokesperson confirmed he was expected to bat, if necessary.
As Bairstow’s injury was external, as per the rules he would be able to bat whenever required even if he didn’t return to the field. Bairstow is currently England’s highest run-scorer in this series with 206 runs, including one century and two fifties.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo