Bairstow wants England to regain trust

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Jonny Bairstow hopes England’s players can regain the faith of their supporters in the third Ashes Test in Perth following a string of off-field controversies.

Joe Root’s side will relinquish the Ashes urn if they are beaten at the WACA, with Australia 2-0 up in the five-match series courtesy of victories in Brisbane and Adelaide.

While England’s performances have been disappointing, much focus has also surrounded their behaviour away from the pitch.

Bairstow was forced to defend his conduct after it emerged he ‘head-butted’ Cameron Bancroft in a bar early on the tour, with both players subsequently insisting there was no malice in the incident, and Lions batsman Ben Duckett was suspended last week for pouring a drink over a senior team-mate’s head during another night out.

Head coach Trevor Bayliss has expressed repeated frustration at his players’ conduct in Australia, particularly after the Ben Stokes saga overshadowed the build-up to England’s tour.

Acknowledging the need for England to make a positive impression in Perth, Bairstow told BBC Sport: “You want to go ‘hang on a minute, this is actually what we’re about’. There’s an opportunity to do it on Thursday at the WACA.”

Bairstow added: “The relationships we’ve got with people are very good and we’re very fortunate for that.

“It’s taken a bit of a hit but it’s our jobs and our duties to rebuild those trusts and faith within the England cricket team.”