Nottinghamshire Captain Chris Read has backed Ian Bell to continue to excel for England, even if he is moved to the number three batting spot following the withdrawal of Jonathan Trott.
England will look to restore parity in the Ashes series when the second Test begins in Adelaide on Thursday with several team selection quandaries.
“Ian Bell is a mainstay of the top order and he’s well equipped to deal with a move to number three,” said Read.
“There is work to do but there is more than enough quality in the England squad to turn things around." Chris Read
“I believe that whoever comes in will bat at six, whether that’s Bairstow, or Balance, but they may go with Ben Stokes at number seven and there’s also some talk of Joe Root moving up the order.
“You could make a case for two spinners and Tim Bresnan bowled nicely for the Lions so it’s not a clear selection.”
Read still expects sledging between the sides despite the controversy surrounding Michael Clarke’s assertion, overheard on the stump microphone, that Jimmy Anderson should ‘prepare for a broken arm’ when facing a resurgent Mitchell Johnson.
“It would be a dull game if opponents didn’t say anything to each other but there’s a fine line between intelligent sledging and plain abuse,” said Read.
“The Australian players of the last generation have been good at getting into their opponents’ heads and the likes of Ponting and Warne in particular were masters of gaining an advantage by making the right comment at the right time.
“I’m happy for players to try to use words to gain an advantage over their opponent, especially if it’s humorous and intelligent, but I quickly lose respect for opponents who resort to insults.”
Read has played with and against Jimmy Anderson throughout his career and expects that he will be surprised that the attention that his altercation with Clarke has commanded.
“Jimmy will brush off comments like that quite easily,” said Read.
“He’s never shy to say a few words and he accepts that in dishing a bit out he’ll take a bit back.”
Regardless of who gets the nod to establish England’s foundations at the top of the order, Read is confident that batting displays will become increasingly resolute.
“It was a bit of a shock to watch England so comprehensively beaten in the first Test,” said Read.
“There is work to do but there is more than enough quality in the England squad to turn things around. Alastair Cook will be looking for ways to rally his troops knowing that they had success in Adelaide last time around.
“I’m convinced that the batsman in particular will apply themselves to make amends and Jimmy and Stuart Broad will continue to do well with the ball.”