JONNY Bairstow has described this week's unbeaten 125 in Yorkshire's LV= County Championship victory over Middlesex as "one of my favourite hundreds" as he continues an exceptional run of form with the bat.

York ace Bairstow missed the first three Championship matches of the season due to England back-up duty in the West Indies last month but has scored 402 runs in six Division One innings across three matches since his return.

He has hit two hundreds and three half-centuries against Hampshire, Somerset and, most recently, Middlesex at Headingley.

In batting superbly with the tail to ensure Yorkshire a first-innings lead of 17 in reply to 212 after they had been 142-8 on Monday, the 25-year-old wicketkeeper secured his 13th first-class century.

He was showered with praise by coach Jason Gillespie, who described it as one of the best innings you will see in county cricket while questioning his omission from the England team.

Bairstow shared in crucial first-innings partnerships of 44 for the fifth wicket with Jack Leaning, 35 for the seventh alongside Will Rhodes, 28 for the ninth with Steve Patterson and 59 for the tenth with Jack Brooks.

He batted particularly well with tail-ender Brooks and said: "Having not played too much in the Caribbean, to come back and score the runs I have is pleasing.

"It's the hundreds that I'm searching for and that was one of my favourites.

"We know that as a line-up we bat right down and we know that we have the capabilities to knock targets off.

"That positive brand of cricket is us. You don't get the batting points we have or score 400 in 110 overs the number of times we have without that.

"To have Jack (Brooks) and Steve (Patterson) coming in and batting in the way that they did was outstanding. They just keep doing it. I wouldn't have been able to do it without those guys.

"I'm concentrating on scoring runs here at Yorkshire at the moment.

"Come the end of the season, if we've all scored our runs, taken our catches and wickets, we won't be far away because we have the squad to be challenging in a few competitions."

Meanwhile, veteran James Middlebrook is likely to face former county Northamptonshire in Sunday's NatWest T20 Blast match at Headingley having made himself available to deputise for Adil Rashid, who is on England one-day duty.

The 38-year-old off-spinner has only played one Championship match so far this season.

Yorkshire are searching for their third win from five matches, although they have lost the last two – including Friday's Roses clash when Lancashire chased down 186 thanks to Jos Buttler's blistering 71 not out.

"We've done some very good things but our bowling in the first six overs and at the death has got to be better," said Gillespie.

"You're going to get hit for boundaries – but make the opposition play good shots, not the half volley on leg-stump or the short and wide one. If you're going to be hit for four, make sure it's off your best ball."