Jonny Bairstow still set to bat for England despite suffering finger fracture

Bairstow’s finger will be iced overnight and he will bat with extra possession on his glove for this third Test

Jonny Bairstow leaves the field after sustaining the injury (Getty Images)

Jonny Bairstow will still bat for England despite fracturing his finger in the field on day three of the third Test at Trent Bridge. Bairstow suffered the injury behind the stumps while trying to take a lifting ball from James Anderson and spent most of the day off the field, and after going to hospital an X-ray identified a small break at the top of his left middle finger.

Bairstow’s finger will be iced overnight and he will bat with extra possession on his glove, but the England medical staff have decided that as it is not a displaced fracture, he is not at risk of exacerbating the injury. England need to bat for two days or score another 498 to beat India, but realistically Bairstow’s role will be to shore up the middle order and hang around for long enough to ward off a damaging humiliation.

There is still no word on whether Bairstow will be fit to keep wicket during the rest of the series. Broken fingers generally take two or three weeks to heal, and with the fourth Test at Southampton starting a week on Thursday there is a good chance that Bairstow will - reluctantly - be forced to relinquish the gloves to Jos Buttler and play as a specialist batsman.

“It wobbled and I just copped it on the end [of my finger],” Bairstow said. “It is part and parcel of this job. We’re going to see how it is in the morning. It is a fracture, but it’s not displaced, and that’s a big thing. We’re hopeful, with a bit more ice overnight and some protection.”

“The first 30 seconds were pretty horrendous. The pace of the pitch has improved. They left the ball well, and we know if we’re going to save or win this game that’s exactly what we have to do.”

England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace did not express hope of saving the game, but said the key for England’s batsmen would be to show the sort of resolve and decisiveness they lacked during their first innings collapse, when they lost all 10 wickets inside a session.

“The key for us is showing the right intent,” Farbrace said. “Intent doesn’t just mean scoring quickly, it means defending well, leaving well, rotating strike. You’re looking for Cook, Root, Stokes, to get stuck in and show they are top quality players.”