Ashes 2013: 5 Players That Can Save Series For England

By James Kent /

England have had a difficult start to the current Ashes series with an embarrassing opening test defeat to Australia, followed by the news that Jonathan Trott has returned home due to a stress related illness. This all means that that Andy Flower's men face a real challenge to retain the Ashes, as it can be difficult to recover from such early difficulties. However, sometimes problems can bring a team closer together and result in great recoveries. So, for the purpose of this slideshow, I have put together a list of players that can make a real difference for England as they look to respond in the second test. Obviously, this will include trying to cover the loss of Trott in the battling attack. So, let's get started...

5. Ian Bell

As already mentioned, the key problem for England will be to find the right man to come in to bat at number three. Obviously, there are a number of possibilities here €“ but Ian Bell is the most obvious one given his experience in this role in the past. 31-year-old Bell has also already managed three centuries against the Australian's as part of the previous Ashes series on home soil so could hold the key to getting a big score to play his side back into contention.