MESSAGES to England selectors do not come much louder or clearer than the one Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow sent from Headingley to Edgbaston today.

Batting with style and fine judgement, the England batsman made 125 not out to secure a slender 17-run first-innings lead over Middlesex and suggest that it might have been wise to include him in Eoin Morgan’s squad for the one-day international series which begins in Birmingham tomorrow.

Resuming on 25 not out, Bairstow added another 100 runs in 141 balls, thus taking Yorkshire from 96 for six, when Jack Leaning and Glenn Maxwell were dismissed by Toby Roland-Jones in the day’s first over, to 229 all out.

By the close, though, a 55-run stand between Dawid Malan and James Franklin had helped the visitors recover from the loss of early wickets to 127 for four, meaning the current Division One leaders take an already useful lead of 110 runs into tomorrow’s play.

The game between the county champions and one of their closest challengers is therefore evenly poised but it is largely due to Bairstow’s judgement and panache that Yorkshire are in such a healthy position.

First the wicketkeeper-batsman added 35 for the seventh wicket with Will Rhodes before the 20-year-old, who had batted responsibly for an hour to garner 11 runs, edged Tim Murtagh to Simpson.

Tim Bresnan made just four but Bairstow continued calmly on, playing each ball on its merits and attacking only when circumstances permitted.

Yorkshire’s No5 was 67 not out at lunch and he gradually went on to the attack after the resumption, particularly after his ninth-wicket partner, Steve Patterson, had been bowled by Toby Roland-Jones for 12.

Jack Brooks stayed with Bairstow for nearly an hour as a further 59 runs were added for the last wicket. During this stand, Bairstow reached his century off 161 balls in 234 minutes with an edged boundary off James Harris.

When Brooks was caught by wicketkeeper Simpson off Ollie Rayner for six, Bairstow’s 125 runs had been scored off 187 balls with ten fours and four sixes, all of the latter being struck just before or after he reached three figures.

Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie was in no doubt about the quality of the innings Bairstow had played.

“It’s one of the best innings you’ll see in county cricket,” he said. “I thought the way he batted with the lower order was simply outstanding.

“It’s up there with one of Jonny’s finest knocks and it was an outstanding effort. We’re quite fortunate at Yorkshire to have him in this game. My personal opinion is he should be with the England side. He must be very close.

“The selectors haven’t picked him so all Jonny can do is score as many runs as possible and keep as well as he can. We shouldn’t expect him to be around at Yorkshire because I think England honours will come calling sooner rather than later. He is in special form and he is a fantastic player.”