'Everyone's talking about the World Cup' – Jonny Bairstow can't wait for home summer

Bairstow played his last IPL match of the season on Tuesday, 23 April, when Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered a six-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings. Bairstow will now leave for England to join the national side ahead of their limited-overs series against Ireland and Pakistan.

After months on the road, Bairstow wants to spend time at home, but he's feeling the World Cup fever. "Looking forward to getting back home. It will be nice to spend a bit of time at home," he told ESPNCricinfo. "Been on the road for quite a while now.

"It's an exciting summer of cricket ahead. Everyone's talking about the World Cup, everyone's talking about the selections that have been coming out. Hopefully everyone can stay fit and be involved."

Bairstow accumulated 445 runs in 10 IPL games, including a spectacular 52-ball century against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The performances have boosted his confidence of playing spin, and he now has a better idea how to tackle sub-continental teams.

"You've got Afghanistan that'll probably bowl 30-40 overs of spin," said Bairstow. "And you don't know in England – it's not like in India, where if you see a pitch is dry, then it's definitely going to turn. Sometimes it can be a bit softer in England and a bit tacky, so it can turn as well. If they can potentially limit the team to a score, then you've people like [Mohammad] Shahzad go and whack it."

Bairstow also reiterated the fact that conditions in England would be unpredictable. "We don't know what conditions, we don't know what weather England's going to have in store for us," he said. "Sometimes it can be overcast, sometimes it can be nice and sunny. The pitch can change."

England play a one-off ODI against Ireland before taking on Pakistan in five ODIs and a T20I in early May. They begin their World Cup campaign on 30 May against South Africa.