Ian Bell could be in the "last-chance saloon" at Edgbaston, says Nass
Sunday 19 July 2015 21:00, UK
Nasser Hussain says England must not “overreact” to their comprehensive defeat to Australia at Lord’s – but admits changes may need to be made to the batting line-up.
England slumped to 103 all out in 37 overs on Sunday as Australia squared the series at 1-1, with opener Adam Lyth (seven) and middle-order men Gary Ballance (14) and Ian Bell (11) toiling again.
Sky Sports pundit Hussain is loath to make wholesale alterations to a side that won the first Test by 169 runs in Cardiff but feels Lyth, Ballance and Bell could be sweating on their places, before or after the third Test.
England do keep making the same mistakes in that top order and Edgbaston could be the last chance-saloon for some of them.
"You don’t overreact when you win and say you are going to wallop the Aussies 5-0 and you don’t go the other way when you lose,” said Hussain. “You make a change when there is someone better.
“However, Australia responded to Cardiff by making two changes and England do keep making the same mistakes in that top order and Edgbaston could be the last chance-saloon for some of them.
“Bell, who is coming to the end of his career, has a big Test coming and if he doesn’t do it on his home ground it might be a ‘thank you very much, time for someone else in” situation.
"Australia have outplayed England – but how did they turn it around? Their box-office players – Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, put in stunning performances and it’s time for Bell – if he plays – to do the same.”
“You can’t just keep on dropping players when they are out of nick but the problem for England is that they have three guys out of nick; Bell, Ballance and Lyth are making flat pitches look like a minefield.”
Ballance has passed fifty just once in his last 10 Test innings having done so six times in his first 10.
Michael Holding says the Yorkshire star is currently batting like a “nightwatchman” and must be moved down from the No 3 position.
"You need someone who, when he walks to the crease at No 3, the opposition say ‘hey, this is a challenge’ and don’t just feel he is another batsman,” added the former West Indies seamer.
“This is not the Ballance I first saw in the Test game; he was balanced and playing balls properly but he is now batting with both feet in the crease whether the ball is full or short.
“He is in no-man’s land, like a nightwatchman sent out to protect the batsmen, and that doesn’t work at No 3, so whether England drop him down the order or drop him completely, I don’t know.”
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