England batter Jonny Bairstow on Thursday (February 2) provided update on his recovery from a freak injury, saying that it is on the “right track”, raising hopes of his participation in the home Ashes series.

Bairstow had sustained a lower limb injury in a freak accident while playing golf in September last year. As a result, he missed the T20 World Cup 2022 and the subsequent away Test tour of Pakistan.

The injury saw the 33-year-old break his fibula in three places, which needed a complex surgical intervention.

With the Ashes scheduled at home in June-July this year, a fully-fit Bairstow would certainly bolster England’s already scary Test batting line-up.

In fact, Bairstow played a key role in England’s Test resurgence under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes last year, averaging 75.66 with four Test centuries before he picked up the injury.

“It (the leg) is improving, we’re on the right track, we’re about four-and-a-half months post it (the injury) happening now,” Bairstow said at the Marylebone Cricket Club ‘Spirit of Cricket’ panel on Wednesday, according to Yorkshire Post.

“I haven’t actually got a return date just yet but I’m seeing a surgeon later on in the month so we’ll wait and see how that goes, but things are tracking in the right direction.

“It’s (injury) a bit more complicated than just breaking your leg, but that’s just one of the things that you deal with. Everyone has been dealt a card, everyone has challenges put in front of them, but it’s just another thing you can overcome.”

Jonny Bairstow stated that the lengthy injury hiatus has not affected his morale but staying at home became boring sometimes.

“It’s been a lot different (post-injury), taking the injury away from it, not being … on planes and flying everywhere and being around a group of lads, being at home has been a lot different.

“It’s been quite good at times, it’s been quite boring at times.”

Bairstow revealed that a day before he slipped on the golf course, white-ball coach Matthew Mott and skipper Jos Buttler discussed with him the prospects of opening the innings in T20Is.

“It has been tricky, obviously the night before I did my ankle, I spoke to Matthew Mott and Jos (Buttler) and they spoke about me opening the batting in T20 side and that’s what I’ve been wanting to do for a little period of time, so I was absolutely delighted.

“And then it’s amazing how quickly things can turn on its head, within 12 hours I was laying on a hospital bed, my leg in a cast and my ankle being put back in place.”

(With PTI Inputs)