Bairstow was dropped on 71 but went on to score 174 off 113 balls yesterday MARK P DOHERTY/REXJonny Bairstow bludgeoned an extraordinary 174 off 113 balls as Yorkshire chased down 335 to beat Durham by six wickets at Headingley. It was a blistering innings from Bairstow, in an unfamiliar role as opening batsman, and contained 23 boundaries — seven leg-side sixes and 16 fours. The 27-year-old was ably supported by his England team-mate Joe Root (55) and they shared a partnership of 189 inside 26 overs. Both fell to the Durham medium pacer James Weighell, but 47 not out from the Australian Peter Handscomb and a solid 29 by Gary Ballance led Yorkshire to victory with 14 balls to spare. Key Facts 45.8 Bairstow’s average in five matches for Yorkshire in 2017Bairstow’s century certainly overshadowed the efforts of Durham’s overseas player Stephen Cook, who hit 106, and Michael Richardson, who reached 100 from…

Source: The Times May 03, 2017 22:52 UTC