Jonny Bairstow

Opposition bowlers dreaded the moment Jonny Bairstow got his eye in. On his day, the Yorkshireman could dismantle an attack with clean, violent hitting, especially through the off side, where his driving was a thing of brutal beauty. His ability to turn a chase into a procession, bludgeoning spinners and quicks alike, made him one of England's most feared middle-order operators across formats. He combined calculated aggression with a fierce will to win, traits honed through years of battling for his place in a strong side.

Bairstow's journey to cricket's top level was never straightforward. The son of former England keeper David Bairstow, he was repeatedly asked to reinvent himself, shuttling between wicketkeeper-batter and specialist batter roles in Tests while becoming a devastating opener in white-ball cricket. Big moments kept finding him: a match-winning 140 against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2016, back-to-back hundreds against India and New Zealand that kept England's 2019 World Cup campaign alive, and an unforgettable 136 off 92 balls against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2022, the innings that came to define the Bazball era. His hunger for runs and stubborn resolve sealed his reputation as a game-changer, and he remains a senior figure at Yorkshire.