{"id":296363,"date":"2023-10-19T19:16:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=296363"},"modified":"2023-10-19T19:16:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:16:35","slug":"jonny-bairstow-england-south-africa-world-cup-double-will-be-great-spectacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/%d1%81ricket\/jonny-bairstow-england-south-africa-world-cup-double-will-be-great-spectacle\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonny Bairstow: England-South Africa World Cup double will be \u2018great spectacle\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jonny Bairstow is relishing his role in a rare World Cup double as England and South Africa prepare for high-stakes battles on the cricket pitch and the rugby field within a matter of hours on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Bairstow will be leading from the front in Mumbai, where his side look to put their creaking title defence back on track against the Proteas, before attention turns to events almost 4,500 miles away in Paris and the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and the Springboks.<\/p>\n

Bairstow is a huge rugby fan and was even invited to address the England squad ahead of last year\u2019s autumn international against Argentina at Twickenham, chatting to the squad for over an hour before observing training.<\/p>\n

Now he hopes to set the tone for a day of English celebrations by the time Steve Borthwick\u2019s men kick off.<\/p>\n

You’ll have people in South Africa, I’m sure, having a few brandy and Cokes and a couple of braais, and you’ll have a few in England popping down the pub. It’s going to be a great spectacle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a great spectacle, it\u2019s going to be a great day for both nations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re two extremely proud nations, whether that\u2019s on the rugby front or the cricketing front, two teams on both sides that are very passionate about playing for their countries and are excited about playing for their countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have people in South Africa, I\u2019m sure, having a few brandy and Cokes and a couple of braais (barbecues), and you\u2019ll have a few in England popping down the pub and watching \u2013 any excuse for them to just pop down there!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be great \u2013 and hopefully both results go our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bairstow can only directly impact one of them, of course, and the importance of his role at the top of the batting order is shaping up to be a key one.<\/p>\n

Defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, either side of victory over Bangladesh, have put England firmly on the back foot and cranked up the stakes on their visit to the Wankhede Stadium.<\/p>\n

Head coach Matthew Mott has called for more aggression in the first 15 overs of both innings and Bairstow has the track record and firepower to oblige.<\/p>\n

But he is clear that swinging blindly for the fences is not on the cards, with conditions in India calling for more nuance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see anyone else in the world going out and scoring at nine runs an over. You look at India, they don\u2019t go out and just go balls to the wall in the first 10 and they\u2019re the host nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t just go out and go from ball one. So the importance of the first 10 is to yes score quickly, but also score in a way that\u2019s sustainable over a long period of time, because we\u2019re not playing a T20 game, we\u2019re playing a 50-over game.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying cricket in India compared to playing cricket in England is different. There\u2019s different styles that work all around the world. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s one thing that fits all.\u201d<\/p>\n

While England are licking their wounds after being upset by the Afghans, South Africa are nursing a similar blow to their pride after defeat the Netherlands. That has added another layer of intrigue to the clash as both sets of players desperately try to reset the narrative.<\/p>\n