Can Bell make the most of his lifeline?

In many Test innings Ian Bell has looked in great touch before throwing away his wicket. Barney Ronay wonders in the Guardian whether the man expected to take the place of the injured Kevin Pietersen will show he's made of sterner stuff during the rest of the Ashes.

Ian Bell – who, according to everybody capable of having opinions about England's middle order, will be back in the team for Edgbaston – appears to be made of something infuriatingly insubstantial: fleece, nylon, margarine, cobweb... For a rather meek person Bell is a surprisingly divisive figure. He seems sure to be in tomorrow's squad as Kevin Pietersen's stand-in. But you can bet lots of people will feel cross about it.

And in the Daily Telegraph Derek Pringle looks at whether there's a place for Steve Harmison in the Edgbaston starting XI.