Bairstow can hit it off with England on second coming, says Gough

In 2012, Bairstow’s batting form for Yorkshire won him a recall in place of Kevin Pietersen – dropped over the text saga for the third Test against South Africa at Lord’s – and he responded with two brilliant innings, of 54 and 95.

Since then he has been in and out of the side, with Bairstow’s problem not so much his glovework as his batting technique, which did not stand up well to Mitchell Johnson and company in Australia last summer.

In his 14 Test matches to-date, Bairstow averages less than 27 with the bat; certainly below-par for a top-six batsman but also sub-standard to play as a specialist wicketkeeper.

But Gough is convinced Bairstow, who has been called up to play for England in the Caribbean next month, has matured as a cricketer and is ready to finally fulfil his potential and become an international regular.

“Jonny Bairstow is a terrific young cricketer who I have known for a long time,” said Gough, who is taking part in the second Investec Ashes Cycle Challenge to raise funds for the Lord’s Taverners in July, the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, with the inaugural event raising over £280,000 for the Lord’s Taverners and other charities in 2013.

“He’s a great guy and is a great character and a great person to have around the dressing room.

“As a cricketer I think he wasn’t quite ready for Test cricket when he got selected but I think now he is in that zone and knows what is expected.

“He has gone away and worked hard with Yorkshire and won the title last year.

"It’s a great environment to be in at Yorkshire and always has been and we have got some good players.

“England have got some good players as well and Jonny will add to that competition for places.

“You have got now a lot of guys who believe they deserve a place in the starting line-up and if you don’t perform someone will take your place.

“So if Jonny gets in that first Test you have to take the place and make it your own.”

England boss Peter Moores has been heavily criticised in recent weeks, along with the England team following their dismal failure at the World Cup, while the clamour for Kevin Pietersen to return to the international fold gets louder and louder.

But Gough has called on England to do their talking on the field and has backed them to beat the West Indies and New Zealand this summer and arrive for an Ashes battle against Australia full of confidence and able to compete with the world’s best side.

“I think England will have too much for them and there are a few cricketers with a lot to prove, especially our bowlers,” added Gough, who will lead a cricketing peleton as they cycle between England's Test match grounds over four days this summer, with the challenge taking place between July 12 and 15.

“Jimmy Anderson is a quality bowler with the new ball and he will want to take wickets. Stuart Broad has had a disappointing few months and he will want to show what a good bowler he is as well.

“With the bat we have got plenty of players. We have got good cricketers; we have got people saying we are in a bad place in England but we have got some very good cricketers and the County game is in a good place as well.

“We just need to make sure we pick the right players for each specific tournament going forward. But I believe England will win in the West Indies and I think they will beat New Zealand early season but then it’s the Ashes.

“When it comes to the Ashes I can’t give an honest answer but if we play like we did in the winter and they play the way they did then I think we will get beat.

“Let’s just see what happens in the West Indies first. Colin Graves takes over in May and I’m sure he has got a few tricks up his sleeve to make English cricket stronger.”

* To support Goughie's fundraising efforts visit lordstaverners.org/ashescycle and keep up with the team’s progress by following @LordsTaverners and @Investecwin – to donate text VELO15 £5 or £10 to 70070.