LONDON: Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell is set to get a Test recall as England named Sunday a 13-man squad for next week’’s third match of the Ashes series at his Edgbaston home ground.
Bell is set to replace Kevin Pietersen in the side that won the second Test against Australia at Lord’’s by 115 runs, to go 1-0 up in the five-match series, after the South Africa born batsman was ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes with an Achilles injury.
Fast bowler Stephen Harmison and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar have also been added to the XI that played at Lord’’s, with Pietersen’’s absence the only change to the initial 14-man squad announced ahead of the second Test.
Bell, 27, played the last of his 46 Tests against the West Indies in Jamaica in February but was dropped after a run of low scores, with Ravi Bopara taking over in England’’s problem position of No 3.
However, Bell has scored heavily in the County Championship with 640 runs in his seven innings this season prior to his recent double failure against Hampshire, which included a duck.
But his record against Australia is mediocre, with his 502 runs in 10 Ashes Tests coming at a low average of 25.10.
Miller also said he was confident of the fitness of Andrew Flintoff, the fast-bowling all-rounder who led England’’s attack at Lord’’s despite a troublesome knee injury.
Flintoff bowled unchanged on the final morning on his way to taking five wickets as England won an Ashes Test at Lord’’s for the first time in 75 years.
But before that match he announced he would be retiring from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes because his injury-blighted body could not long stand the strain of five-day cricket.
And doubts still persist as to whether he will get through this series.
England squad:
Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Matthew Prior (wkt), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Stephen Harmison, Monty Panesar.
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