Ashes: Jonny Bairstow grateful to deliver for England, narrates comeback story after career-threatening injury

Jonny Bairstow was left strandedon 99 in England's first innings in Manchester, but the keeper-batter didn't show remorse or grudge over being unable to complete his hundred. Instead, he felt grateful to return to doing what he does best and narrated his comeback story following a horrific slip last year that almost ended his career.

After England lost eight wickets with Hazlewood tearing into the English lower-order, it looked like their lead of around 200 was good enough to make a match out of it. However, Bairstow had different plans. The right-handed batter took the onus on himself and went berserk, hitting Aussie quicks to all parts of the ground.

Before anyone could realise, the keeper-batter crossed the 90-run mark and inched closer towards hitting his first hundred of the season. But as destiny had it, he couldn't as Anderson departed on the other end, leaving Bairstow unbeaten on 99 and smiling throughout on his way to the dressing room.

That, however, summed up his life in the past year - wherein he broke his leg in three places after he slipped while playing golf with his friends in September last year. It was bad to the extent that even the doctors claimed it to be career-ending.

'It's a miracle that I am here'

For Bairstow, or any person for that matter, to come out of such an injury and play cricket, let alone do well under pressure in the high-octane Ashes, is no less than a miracle, and Jonny is all but grateful for it.

"You just don't know how bad it's going to be. It could have ended my career," Bairstow told Sky Sports after day three play.

"I've got nine pins, and a wire that goes through my ankle, and I've had nine months out," he said. "I'm still only ten months post-operation right now. So when you speak to the surgeon, and he says, 'I'm surprised you're walking and running, never mind playing professional sport', I'm delighted to be where I'm at."

"There's times when there's aches and pains and people are saying you're limping, well, yeah, I am at times, because there's a lot going on in the ankle, and other bits that people won't understand. It's been a rollercoaster. There's been a lot that's happened in those nine months. And to come out and take the field again, with a group of boys that I care a heck of a lot about, is a special place for me to be," the keeper batter added.

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