Friday 9 January 2015 17:39, UK
Jonny Bairstow remains determined to get his England place back but told Sky Sports News he is delighted to see Jonathan Trott impressing at the crease again.
Former England batsman Trott is captain of a 15-man England Lions squad on a month-long tour of South Africa and is looking to revive his Test career.
It's the 33-year-old's first overseas tour since leaving the Ashes in Australia with stress issues just over a year ago and Bairstow, also desperate for a Test recall, has welcomed the sight of Trott batting again.
"It's fantastic to have him back," Bairstow said about Trott, who scored an unbeaten 79 to make up for a poor first innings in the draw against the Gauteng Invitation XI.
"I'm really pleased he's scoring runs and I'm sure he’ll score runs in this series in January. Having him as captain is great because of his experience and being able to pass this on to the rest of the guys in the squad.
It's good we are playing cricket out here and if anybody does get injured then we can seemlessly slip into the full side and do a good job
"The Lions is a stepping block and it's seen a lot of people back into the England side. There will be a few people out here looking to put in strong performances going forward to be pushing to get into the senior side for the rest of winter and into the summer."
The Lions will now play two four-day games against South Africa A this month.
Bairstow, who retired out for 62 with five fours and a six in the invitational match feels in good shape and is hunting a recall to the senior squad after falling out of favour last year.
The Yorkshire wicketkeeper added: "I'm really happy with my game. I had a good summer with Yorkshire and scored some runs. I'm pretty confident and have had a good training camp in Sri Lanka and South Africa.
"It will be a great challenge and personally, it's an exciting time for me and the rest of the guys on the trip."
And with the World Cup on the horizon, Bairstow insisted he was ready and waiting if any of the England players suffer an injury.
On a late recall for the one-day tournament down under in February and March, he said: "We can all be hopeful of that. You never know what the selectors are thinking.
"But it's good we are playing cricket out here and if anybody does get injured then we can seemlessly slip into the full side and do a good job."
