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England wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow, who currently is going through a purple patch both with bat and gloves, intends to take his game to the next level and has set his sights on becoming the number one batsman in Tests.
Right now Bairstow is ranked seventh in the ICC rankings for batsmen, only his skipper Joe Root is ahead of him as far as rankings for England go. "Seven is, apparently, now where I also find myself in the ICC world batting rankings, which I'm delighted about," Bairstow wrote in a column for the Daily Mail.
"Is No 1 feasible? Why not! It's not something you think about but my aim has always been to work hard to become the best I can possibly be as a batsman and keeper, and if that pushes me even higher in the rankings then I'll take that."
"It was also huge for me to reach 100 dismissals for England in this Test. I loved that. If you think back to where I was two years, or even 18 months ago and what people were saying about my keeping, it's a really nice landmark. I'll keep cracking on."
Bairstow, who has made 2172 runs in his last 28 Tests at an average of 48.26 with three hundreds, since being recalled to the England setup against Australia in July 2015, has vowed not to let his recent performances lull him into a sense of complacency but revealed that he was left devastated at being dismissed for 99 in the Old Trafford Test.
"It was like that time at Lord's against South Africa in 2012 when I fell in the 90s. An extra run shouldn't really matter that much. It doesn't mean you have not played well. I'm certainly happier to make 99 than nine or 19, but we all know in cricket that extra run does matter."
Bairstow, who added 50 for the last wicket with James Anderson in that game, fell for 99 when attempting a sweep off Keshav Maharaj. Even though he reviewed the decision, the original call was upheld. "I'm delighted with my form with bat and gloves. It's just a question of quietly carrying on and not making too big a deal of it when things are going well - but I must confess I was devastated to get out for 99 at Old Trafford," Bairstow wrote.
"In all honesty a century was the last thing on my mind. When Jimmy Anderson came in I was a long way from three figures so to get so close and add 50 for the last wicket was important in setting up the match."
With a series win against South Africa - only the first time that they have beaten them at home since 1998, England are riding high at the moment. But there's no time for letting the guard down as West Indies first, and later Australia await them before the year comes to a close.
Their immediate focus though will be the three Test match series which starts at Edgbaston next Thursday - a day-night game - against the West Indies. It's the first ever day-night Test played on English soil and Bairstow wants to get used to the experience of playing under lights against the Pink ball.
"We are going to have an extra day's practice with the pink ball ahead of Edgbaston, which will be good because I didn't get a chance to bat with one in our day-night county match for Yorkshire earlier this season," Bairstow mentioned.
"West Indies have come in under the radar to an extent while we've been playing South Africa, but we will have a good think about them in the coming days," he concluded.
(CRICBUZZ)