England’s Jonny Bairstow is ready to bury the hatchet with Australian cricket fans as the Ashes villain joins the Melbourne Renegades for the upcoming Big Bash season.

The 37-year-old joins former captain Ben Stokes (Adelaide Strikers) and discarded England opener Zak Crawley (Perth Scorchers) in descending on the BBL this summer.

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Bairstow has signed a deal with Renegades reportedly worth more than $400,000 for the season, and the ex-Bazballer is prepared to have a target on his back from Australian crowds.

Bairstow has been mocked heavily on these shores since Alex Carey stumped him after he wandered out of his crease in the Lord’s Test of the 2023 Ashes.

He knows there’ll be plenty of quips coming his way.

“But that was (three) years ago now, there’s a lot of water that’s passed under the bridge,” Bairstow told cricket.com.au.

“It’s obviously still talked about, which is something that you can look back on in Ashes series gone by and there’s always bits that are talked about and that will continue to be the case over a long period of time … I’m sure it will be taken in the right way.”

In a separate interview with News Corp, Bairstow added: “The reception will probably be quite fun at times. It’s not something that being an Englishman you’re averse to when you’re over in Oz. So yeah, it’ll be great fun.”

Jonny Bairstow of England is run out by Alex Carey of Australia during Day Five of the LV= Insurance Ashes 2nd Test match between England and Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 02, 2023 in London, England. Picture: Channel 9Source: Channel 9Alex Carey of Australia stumps Jonny Bairstow of England off the bowling of Cameron Green of Australia during Day Five of the LV= Insurance Ashes 2nd Test match between England and Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground on July 2, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Bairstow missed last summer’s Ashes because he was dropped from the England Test side following their 2024 tour of India – playing his 100th and last Test in the picturesque Dharamsala.

The right-hander played in three Ashes series in Australia before that however – facing a rampaging Mitchell Johnson during the whitewash of 2013/14 before scoring defiant centuries at the WACA in 2017 and the SCG in 2022.

“There’s been some great battles, hasn’t there, over many years, in all formats,” Bairstow said.

“Australian fans enjoy people that get stuck in and are very passionate about playing cricket and want to win, and that’s something wholeheartedly I can say that I’ve done over my career.

“The reaction from the Renegades fans I’m sure will be pretty good, and by the other fans as well, there will be some fun along the way, there’s bound to be, but that’s part and parcel of playing as an overseas in the Big Bash.”

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Bairstow has not played for England in any format since their loss to India in the semi-final of 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.

He has continued to ply his trade domestically for county side Yorkshire, the London Spirit in The Hundred and various other franchises in T20 leagues around the world.

Bairstow’s connection to Victorian cricket led to him joining the Renegades to fill the void left by New Zealand’s Tim Seifert – who has joined the Sydney Sixers – for a maiden stint in the Big Bash.

Bairstow signed for the Melbourne Stars in 2020, but he was recalled to England’s Test squad for a tour of Sri Lanka and withdrew.

With the Renegades leaving Marvel Stadium this season, Bairstow will finally get the chance to call the MCG home.

“Mick Lewis (who recently spoke to foxsports.com.au about the 2006 world record ODI in South Africa) is over at Yorkshire as our bowling coach and he’s obviously got a strong affiliation with Melbourne and knows a few guys pretty well. So Clint McKay (Renegades high performance manager), who I played with when he came over to Yorkshire (in 2010), reached out,” he said.

“To call the MCG my home ground is great.

“In 2013, there were (91,092) in on day one (of the Boxing Day Test). It was absolutely epic.

“Of sporting stadiums around the world that you want to play in, that’s definitely in the top few.”