Jonny Bairstow criticizes the ‘care’ shown by the England system under Brendon McCullum and Rob Key

Bairstow, now 36, scored four hundred goals across the first four matches under the current regime in 2022 before suffering a serious leg injury later that year.

He returned for the 2023 Ashes but was dropped the following summer, and his final Test – a match against India in March 2024 – was his 100th Test.

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s review came after a 4-1 Ashes defeat this winter, a tour marred by poor planning, substandard performances and off-field problems.

Bowlers like Mark Wood, who was selected despite missing all summer after knee surgery, only to manage just one Test, collapsed due to injuries while the batting line-up also struggled with only Joe Root and Jacob Bethell making centuries.

“If people get a finger injury, that’s OK, but you have to be in the park,” Bairstow said.

“It’s okay to play four or five games in the summer and miss the rest, but you don’t support things and that’s why you get injured.

“I feel for people like Woody. I feel for him in a big way.

“He’s running 95mph and he’s expected to just come in without coming off the back of anything.

“No wonder he was hurt. It just wasn’t right in my opinion.”

Speaking on Monday, Key admitted England had “overrated loyalty” throughout the Ashes series.

They stuck with underperforming batsmen such as Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope rather than looking at others who had performed well in county cricket.

“Once there are no people chasing you from behind, you feel good,” Bairstow said.

“When you feel comfortable you become complacent, and when someone asks you directly, you’re not used to that because you’re in an environment where you probably wouldn’t question a different way.”

Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone criticized the England hierarchy last week, suggesting he did not want to be part of the latest T20 World Cup squad and coaches telling him he “cares too much”.

Asked about his chances of being called up, Bairstow added: “Looking at the last few years, I’m not sure that’s on their agenda.

“It would be an interesting question for you to ask them if you go out and score a few hundreds at the start of the season.”