Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell’s match-winning knock of 107 runs from 95 balls in Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 Trophy final against Somerset has earned him a recall into the England one-day side for the remainder of the five-match series with Pakistan.
The 28-year-old has been out of the selectors’ thoughts since he broke a metatarsal in the one-day loss to Bangladesh in July, but his heroics at the weekend have brought about his return to Andrew Strauss’ team.
England hold a 2-1 lead going into the final two clashes and the right-hander will be looking to further enhance his chances of guaranteeing his place on the plane to Australia for the Ashes series later in the winter.
We will take a look at whom Bell may be competing with for a place in the Test squad ahead of the first showdown in Brisbane on November 25.
Kevin Pietersen.
Nobody will have feared for Pietersen’s position a year ago, but the South Africa-born star has failed to impress in recent times.
He was subsequently dropped from the Twenty20 and one-day sides for Pakistan’s tour of England and he has reacted by signing a short-term deal with former club KwaZulu Natal Dolphins.
To make matters worse for the effervescent batsman, he responded to his England omission with a foul-mouthed tirade on social networking site Twitter.
Will England retain the Ashes in Australia this winter? – Latest Cricket Betting
Ravi Bopara
Bopara was dropped from the squad during last summer’s Ashes success, but he has made a return to form after a prosperous spell in New Zealand in the winter.
The switch to Auckland was thought to have helped Bopara regain his composure and, following a decent return to his homeland, the Essex man, who has three Test centuries – all against West Indies – to his name, could be fresh in the thoughts of coach Andy Flower.
Eoin Morgan
The big-hitting Irishman made a wondrous impact on the limited-overs stage in recent times and, after making his way into the Test side, he blasted a superlative 130 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge to hand the selectors another pleasing problem.
The left-hander certainly packs a punch, but whether he will be ready for the gruelling conditions in Australia remains to be seen.
He has averaged 32 from his six Tests so far and the signs are promising for the 24-year-old, who is one of the online betting favourites to top score for England during the five-match series.
