WORCESTERSHIRE have been unable to contain the prowess of Jonny Bairstow and hopefully Australia won’t be able to either.

In making 139 and 74 not out during this week’s LV= County Championship Division One clash for Yorkshire, Bairstow has earned a recall for the third Ashes Test in place of county colleague Gary Ballance.

By only making one change from the side humiliated at Lord’s, the England selectors have exercised restraint.

It would have been easy to have taken an axe to the top order and make wholesale alterations ahead of next week’s trip to Edgbaston.

There has been a cacophony of clamours for change in the hours since the 405-run defeat at the home of cricket saw Australia level the series at 1-1.

But making decisions with emotions running high is seldom wise and it is worth remembering that exactly the same sounds emanated from the tourists’ camp in the wake of their 169-run defeat in Cardiff barely a fortnight ago.

In the end, only wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and all-rounder Shane Watson were left out and the Aussies hit back in some style.

The thought being that they couldn’t be that bad again and so it proved.

Whether the same applies to England remains to be seen.

Top-order collapses are nothing new for Alastair Cook’s side but they still possess plenty of talent, as witnessed in the first Test.

Then, pundits were talking up their chances of claiming the Ashes with relative ease.

Now some would have us believe they are a bunch of no-hopers there for the taking.

The truth, as ever, lies somewhere in the middle.

England knew something had to be done to address the situation and have acted by bringing in the form man.

If that doesn’t work, then it will be back to the drawing board but Bairstow deserves his chance.