David Warner has turned the heat on Ian Bell by claiming the out of form England batsman is an “easy wicket” for the Australian bowlers.
With scores of 1, 60, 1 and 11 in the two Ashes Tests, pressure is mounting on Bell to deliver and many believe his promotion to No 3 for the third Test at his home ground of Edgbaston is his last chance to come good.
Bell was moved up the order after Gary Ballance was dropped for his poor returns of 23 and 14 at Lord’s and replaced by Jonny Bairstow, who will be batting at the No 5 position.
The Australian tail is up after their serises levelling 405-run victory at Lord’s and Warner does not appear convinced that re-deployment of resources will work for the opposition.
“I think with Ballance and Bell where they are at the moment, they almost seem like two easy wickets… because they’re not scoring as many runs as they would like,” he said.
“We have our same routine to Cookie (Alastair Cook), we have our same routine to Belly.
“Their batting order and what’s happening in their camp, they are going to have to work out themselves. We have to bring our A game and execute our plans.”
Warner, however, is not ruling out a turnaround in Bell’s fortunes provided he finds a way to deal with fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.
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“It’s a funny game. They’ve scored runs in the past and Bell is an experienced player who has got a lot of runs on the board, but he’s just in one of those patches. It only takes one good knock to come back out and get back into form.
“But I think ‘Johno’ (Mitchell Johnson) does (have some of the English players worked out).”
Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott admits time is running out for Bell. “They can’t go on with someone not getting runs,” Boycott said. “If you have played over 100 Tests, you need to take responsibility for the very difficult position of number three.
“You need a be a bit like an opener. The way England are playing at the moment, they definitely need three openers at the top.
“Bell has to shoulder that responsibility and go up front. He needs to help the other guys out. The selectors are saying, ‘if you don’t perform at three, you are gone’.
“I love Ian Bell and his cricket, he is beautiful to watch. But if you don’t have the mind or the defensive technique against pace bowling, you are going to get out,” Boycott told BBC Sport.
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235 – Ian Bell scored 235 the last time he batted at number three in England, against India at The Oval in 2011. Elevation.
— OptaJim (@OptaJim) July 21, 2015
Meanwhile New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes Root is the best batsman to bat at No 3 for England.
“I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: England need Joe Root to move up to No.3,” McCullum said in his Daily Mail column.
“At the moment he’s walking to the wicket in a crisis each time. Move him up to three and he has a chance to impose himself on pro- ceedings. It means he’s not always fire- fighting and can shape an innings.”
McCullum put forth the case of Steven Smith, who struck a magnificent double century in Australia’s big win at Lord’s.
“Smith laid the foundations for Australia’s win. Root needs to be given a chance to do the same for England,” he added.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting too has backed Root for the No 3 spot.
“He was a county opening batsman when he was picked for England,” Ponting told Sky Sports. “He would have a technique that would stand up to No 3 in international cricket.”
