JONNY Bairstow says it would be hard for him to turn down the England Test captaincy if it was offered by Andrew Strauss.

York’s Bairstow has been mentioned as one of the outsiders to replace Alastair Cook, who resigned earlier this week after 59 matches in charge.

The Yorkshire star, along with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, is seen as an alternative to white hot favourite for the role, Joe Root.

Bairstow’s recent form with both bat and gloves for England has been exceptional.

His tally of 1,470 Test runs in the calendar year of 2016 leaves him second behind Root as leading run-scorers in the world.

He also claimed a world record 70 dismissals behind the stumps in 2016.

Earlier this week, Cook mentioned the 27-year-old as a key and senior figure in driving England’s Test team forward in the coming years.

But what about taking on the top job?

“I’d have to think about it, yeah. It’s obviously a massive role, but it would be very difficult to turn down,” admitted Bairstow.

“Naturally, it will be a decision for the hierarchy to make, but if that call comes, then it will take some serious thinking about.

“Never say never, but at this moment in time there will be a lot of talking done by the hierarchy at the ECB, and a lot of speculation will be made over the next couple of weeks until it’s announced.

“There’s a load of people that are in the hat, and I think it’s going to take a good while to decide.

“I don’t think it’s something to be rushed into, to follow someone like Alastair with the stature of himself.

“He’s probably the most coveted player to play for England, and his captaincy record speaks for itself.

“So, whoever is going to take over from him is going to have a tough job on his hands.

“But, at the same time, with his experience still in the side, it’s going to be good to have the comfort of having someone like him still playing, still opening the batting and hopefully scoring many, many more runs for England.”

Bairstow was speaking about the captaincy situation to BT Sport whilst a guest on their Rugby Tonight show on Wednesday.

He was also asked what is required of an England captain.

“You’ve got to have great leadership skills, patience. If you’re out there for five days, it’s pretty tough going through thick and thin,” he added.

“You’ve got two hours at a time to be out there in potentially 35-40 degree heat with potentially grumpy bowlers or things that don’t go quite your way. It can be difficult.

“There are lots of different aspects, and I’m sure it’s the same with all the different sports that people play.”