Friday 26 August 2016 14:44, UK
Kevin Pietersen has backed Ian Bell for an England recall and believes Jason Roy is good enough to play Test cricket.
Bell has not played international cricket since he won his 118th Test cap against Pakistan in November, but has been mentioned as a potential candidate to solve England's recent batting problems.
Nick Compton, Gary Ballance, Alex Hales and James Vince all recently struggled to cement a position in the side, meaning head coach Trevor Bayliss could turn to Bell's experience of sub-continent conditions for the tours of Bangladesh and India this winter.
And Pietersen told Sky Sports News HQ: "They should never have got rid of Ian Bell. Look at that Pakistan side and the last Test match - who was the driving force in that last Test match? Younis Khan. Experience... he knows a thing or two about cricket, and Ian Bell can do it.
"With the right management and structure, he would have thrived and I really think they should never have got rid of him in the first place."
Pietersen thinks England have big problems in their top six and believes Roy, who hit 65 in 56 balls in the first ODI against Pakistan on Wednesday, would slot in without any problems, having long admired the Surrey opener.
Seeing some of the batters in that top six, he could bat left-handed without pads in that team.
"Seeing some of the batters in that top six, he could bat left-handed without pads in that team," added Pietersen. "I remember saying to (Andrew) Strauss six or seven years ago that this guy was the best young player in the country.
"It's amazing to see that someone as good as Jason is now maturing and starting to put that talent into the numbers."
England's tour of Bangladesh this autumn will go ahead, despite recent security concerns, but Pietersen admits he would not want to travel to the country if he was still playing.
"I don't think you've got a choice, if you're an England player. We had a similar issue when I was captain and going back to India after the bombs and that caused major disruptions in the team - guys with kids, guys without kids - and I was unfortunately the leader at that time, but would I want to go to Bangladesh for a couple of months? No thanks."
