- England star Jonny Bairstow still has six months left on his ECB central contract
- But the all-rounder has not played for England since last June’s T20 World Cup
- Yorkshire has now offered him captaincy, which was once held by his father
Jonny Bairstow has been offered the Yorkshire captaincy in a move that would see him emulate his late father David as the club’s figurehead.
Bairstow, 35, still has six months of an ECB central contract to run but has not been selected in any England squads since last June’s Twenty20 World Cup, thrusting him back into the ranks of domestic cricket.
Yorkshire have delayed an official announcement on who will succeed the now departed Shan Masood despite there being less than a fortnight before the start of the 2025 season, partly because Bairstow is on the radar of multiple Indian Premier League teams should they require an injury replacement – he was not selected at last November’s auction.
Barring a late call, however, it is anticipated that he will follow in the footsteps of his famous dad, who captained Yorkshire between 1984-86. Yorkshire begin their County Championship season with a home fixture against Hampshire a week on Friday.
Last July, with club captain Masood unavailable for the Championship run-in, Jonny Tattersall took over, orchestrating a run of five wins in seven undefeated matches that culminated in promotion.
However, the 31-year-old was not considered for the return to Division One by incoming head coach Anthony McGrath, as he is not guaranteed to be in Yorkshire’s best XI.
Jonny Bairstow has been offered the Yorkshire captaincy after over a year away from England
Bairstow, 35, still has six months on his ECB central contract but has not played internationally since England’s tour of India back in March 2024. (Pictured in July 2023 during The Ashes)
The would see him emulate his late father David Bairstow (right) as the club’s figurehead
In addition to Bairstow, Yorkshire will be able to call upon England Test batsmen Joe Root and Harry Brook during the early rounds of first-class action – although the latter will not be available for the first couple of matches as part of an extended break following a heavy international winter.
England’s first assignment of the home summer comes in a four-day Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, starting on May 22, but Mail Sport understands that captain Ben Stokes is keen on players attending a training and team bonding camp prior to that date, preparing them for a huge six months that includes a five-match series against India and next winter’s Ashes down under.
Yorkshire, meanwhile, have looked at splitting the captaincy for 2025, with another England World Cup winner Dawid Malan leading the Vitality Blast campaign.
Such a move would leave Bairstow to concentrate on his top-order batting and wicketkeeping, not over-burdening him with decision-making on the field in what is a much faster-paced format of the game.
