Jonny Bairstow is confident that England have the batsmen to compete in the Ashes but admits they need to learn quickly as they plan for Australia not even knowing if star-allrounder Ben Stokes will be on the plane.
England thumped West Indies by nine wickets on Friday to seal a 4-0 win in the one-day international series and end a long and successful season on a high note.
But the day-night match in Southampton was overshadowed by the Stokes scandal, with the player arrested earlier this week on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and suspended from internationals until further notice.
England can ill afford to be without the big-hitting Durham all-rounder, particularly with question marks over a number of positions in the top-order despite Test series wins against South Africa (3-1) and West Indies (2-1).
Joe Root’s men are Ashes holders but they have lost two out of their past three tours Down Under 5-0 and are desperate to hit the ground running in Brisbane on November 23.
Friday’s man-of-the-match Bairstow, who struck 141 not out as England eased to victory with 12 overs to spare against a poor West Indies, said he would go into the winter full of confidence after scoring two hundreds during the ODI series.
“I’m pretty pleased,” he said. “It’s nice to finish a long summer with some runs and head into the winter with confidence. You wait a long time for a first hundred and when it comes you want to capitalise.”
“If selection doesn’t go your way, you have to bide your time and take the chance when it comes,” added England’s Test wicketkeeper, who appears to have finally secured a regular role in the one-day side.
