England captain Andrew Strauss has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at number 4 in Thursday's 3rd Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Bell comes straight in to replace the sidelined Kevin Pietersen, meaning that Ravi Bopara keeps his place at number 3 in the order.
Bell's Ashes record isn't too impressive, with an average of just less than 25. However, with the knowledge that he is in the side for the next 3 Tests, he will be confident to improve upon that record. Kevin Pietersen described Bell earlier in the week as a "world-class talent", but if that label is to stick, he has to produce the goods on his home ground first.
The Warwickshire right-hander's highest Test score came last summer against South Africa at Lords, where he scored 199. However, since then, Bell has only picked up one half-century in 12 innings, without a century, and his last appearance in the England whites was in the West Indies in the winter, at Kingston, a game in which England were skittled for just 51 in their second innings.
England fans will be hoping that Bell can recapture his form of 2006, a season in which he made 3 centuries in 4 innings against Pakistan at home. It's these kinds of performances that enhance his reputation as a top-class talent, but he now needs to show that talent on the biggest of all stages.
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