Jonny Bairstow plays IPL? Pathan pokes fun at critics of the T20 league amid England’s test debacle

Irfan Pathan was among the many former Indian players who poked fun at the critics of the Indian Premier League after they pointed fingers at the T20 tournament for England’s poor form in Test cricket recently. Nathan’s cheeky social media post came after Jonny Bairstow came up with a rescue act to help England reach 268 for 6 on day one of the first Test against the West Indies.

Bairstow remained unbeaten on 109 as he helped England recover from 48/4, bringing back memories of the Ashes debacle earlier this year when England’s batting crumbled innings after innings.

During England’s comeback, Bairstow and Ben Stokes stitched a 67-run stand for the 5th wicket and a 99-run stand with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

Immediately following Bairstow’s hundred, Irfan Pathan tweeted a cheeky statement that seemed to poke fun at IPL critics.

In a widely shared tweet, Pathan asked, “Jonny Bairstow plays the IPL?”.
England players were criticized for playing in the Indian Premier League when they lost 4-0 to Australia in the Ashes earlier this year.
Mickey Arthur, former Sri Lanka coach and current Head of Cricket at English county Derbyshire, says it’s unfair to blame county cricket for England’s poor Test performance, and that the England and Wales Cricket Board shouldn’t allow their players to go to the Indian Premier League.