Is Jonny Bairstow's England career over after being dropped from all three formats?

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Jonny Bairstow was dropped from England's T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming home series against Australia. The wicketkeeper-batter, considered as one of the best white-ball players of the generation, was also not considered for the ongoing three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

The snubs for Jonny Bairstow comes after his underwhelming performances which started ever since his ankle injury after slipping during a round of golf in September 2022.

After making his comeback from injury, the 34-year-old scored 215 runs in the ODI World Cup 2023. In fact, he averaged just over 19 from the 12 ODI matches he played in 2023. His strike rate during the period was 87.31 - way lower than his career strike rate of 102.92.

The struggle continued in the T20I format as well. In the T20 World Cup 2024, the right-hander accumulated 110 runs from six innings with a best of 48 not out.

Has Jonny Bairstow fallen in the pecking order after the emergence of young wicketkeeper-batter's Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox and Phil Salt? Additionally, England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler himself is a wicketkeeper-batter. Does that mean that it's the end of road for Bairstow, who has played 100 Test, 107 ODIs and 80 T20Is for England?

Jonny Bairstow dropped for white-ball squads as well: What does it mean?

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief selector Luke Wright had a calculated response while talking about Jonny Bairstow's omission from the England squads for white-ball series against Australia. He said the message has been conveyed to Bairstow to regain his pre-injury form. Meanwhile, he also talked about the 'right time' to look at the future.

"One of Jonny's great strengths is how much he wants to play," Wright said on Tuesday after the England squads for Australia series was announced.

"He's hugely disappointed. We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that's been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury? He understands that. He doesn't like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team." Wright clarified.

"I certainly won't be saying that's the end of them. Chris Jordan was left out last winter and then still ended up going to the World Cup. They're all fine cricketers. But right now, we just want to give some others opportunities."

Notably, alongside Bairstow, pacer Chris Jordan and all-rounder Moeen Ali were also dropped

"We haven't needed to [make risky picks] with the white-ball team. They've been one of the outstanding teams. We're very lucky to have had that team for such a long time. Now feels like the right time to have a few more picks in there, and look probably for the future as well. It's an exciting time for everyone to watch and see how that builds going forward," he added.

Jamie Smith has taken to Test cricket like fish to water. The 24-year-old hit a hundred in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Manchester. Jordan Cox and Ollie Pope are the two other wicketkeeper-batters in the Test squad. Smith has also found a place in the ODI squad alongside Salt and Buttler. Cox is in the T20I squad with Buttler and Salt.

An England comeback is not going to be easy for Jonny Bairstow. He is already back playing for Yorkshire, where he scored a fifty against Sussex in the first innings, and followed it with a duck in the second. It's not clear if Bairstow will feature in the side's next against Middlesex in Leeds from August 29. But if he does, he would be looking for a better outing to send a message to the selectors.

"I spoke to Jonny, and he still has ambitions of getting back into the England team," Ottis Gibson, Yorkshire's head coach, said last week.