Ashes 2015: Bell will be axed if he doesn't perform in Third test: Boycott

Ashes 2015: Bell will be axed if he doesn’t perform in Third test: Boycott:

When the squad for the Third Investec Ashes test was announced, it must have brought a smile and sigh of relief on the face of Ian Bell as he got another opportunity to prove his mettle in third test at Edgbaston after a prolonged slump of form. The leading run-scorer for the English side last time around in the Ashes series on English soil, Bell has not been the same player since then. Since 2014, he has scored 723 runs in 15 test matches at an average of 27.81. While, this summer, he managed only 116 runs in 8 innings at a below par average of about 14.

With the exclusion of Gary Balance from the squad, Bell will move to the third position in the batting order where he averages around 39.The veteran former English Player Geoffery Boycott expressed his concerns over Bell’s poor form and said: “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 who featured in 108 Tests for England further said, “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 78 year old Boycott said, “They can’t go on with someone not getting runs. If you have played over 100 Tests, you need to take responsibility for the very difficult position of number three.”

The Third Ashes test is scheduled to be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from 29^th July. The series is currently leveled at 1-1.