West Indies vs England: Jonny Bairstow expresses passion for Tests after another century

Jonny Bairstow could barely keep the grin off his face after spending some five hours at the crease for England under a blazing Caribbean sun on the first day of the first Test against West Indies on Tuesday. In picking up where he left off two months ago in Australia, Bairstow's second century in as many Tests, an unbeaten 109 in Antigua, helped turn the match perhaps slightly in favour of the visitors at stumps. "I am very passionate about playing Test cricket. I am absolutely delighted. It has been a good start to the year and hopefully that can continue," he said.

In compiling his first century against West Indies, Bairstow was typically punishing of anything that strayed from a good line and length, though West Indies did not help their cause by conceding too many boundaries, allrounder Jason Holder said. Holder was certainly not guilty of any profligacy, finishing the day with figures of 2-15 at an average of less than a run an over, but the same could not be said of his less consistent team mates, with 68 of Bairstow's runs coming in boundaries. "If I'm being overly critical, the only thing I'd pinpoint is the boundaries. The boundary count was pretty high," Holder said after England advanced to 268 for six at stumps. "Jonny played really well but I think we could have been a little bit tighter in terms of not allowing him to score, particularly on both sides. He (hit) the ball to the leg-side quite well, drove the ball well, cut the ball well too."

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An unbeaten century by England's Jonny Bairstow, his second in as many Tests, lifted the tourists back from the brink of disaster on the first day of their three-Test