One of the issues that will need resolving before next month's opening Ashes Test is who bats at number six for England. Eoin Morgan currently fills that role and he has quickly gained a reputation throughout world cricket as being one of the most exciting batsmen around. Morgan's breakthrough into the Test side was down to Ian Bell's broken foot, which kept him out of the Pakistan series. Morgan stepped up from the one day side and took to the longer format of the game like the proverbial duck to water hitting a century in his debut match.
With Bell returning to action for Warwickshire in the final part of the summer and carrying on his previous good form, the England selectors need to make a decision on who takes the number six spot.
It looks as though Bell's experience may be the deciding factor in the decision, although anyone looking to place an Ashes bet should bear in mind this isn't set in stone. Bell has shown his quality over the past year, after going through a difficult spell. Bell was part of the Ashes squad of 2006/07 that got given an old fashioned spanking, losing the series 5-0 and thankfully the Ashes betting tips suggest a repeat of this should be avoided.
Since then Bell has showed that he has added a toughness to his game to accompany his world-class talent. After being dropped from the Test side, Bell returned to the team to help England reclaim the Ashes in the 2009 series, with two battling performances, where he scored 53 and 72 as he proved character on cricket's most pressurised stage. His first century against Australia still eludes Bell and he will be determined to put that right this series.
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