London: Former England players Steve Harmison and Michael Vaughan has backed Ben Stokes to replace Jonathan Trott in the England side for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide from December 5.
Trott endured a difficult time in the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, struggling against the bowling of Mitchell Johnson and scoring only 19 runs in two innings as England went down to a 381-run defeat.
According to the BBC, former paceman Harmison said that he feels that the Durham all-rounder coming in at number six would give England flexibility in the form of a X-factor bowler, adding that bringing Stokes in would allow them to play Monty Panesar or Steven Finn
Harmison, who took 222 wickets in 63 Tests for England, further said that England needs a wicket-taking bowler as it is behind in the series.
The report mentioned that the young Stokes is yet to make his Test debut but has scored 3,172 first-class runs at an average of 35.64 while taking 110 wickets at 28.24.
Meanwhile, former captain Vaughan agreed with Harmison, saying that he would not be surprised to see either Stokes in place of Trott at the number three position, although he also backed Ian Bell for the role, adding that Joe Root could be kept down at five.
Another potential Test debutant, Gary Ballance could come in, as could Yorkshire teammate Jonny Bairstow, who has made 12 Test appearances, the report added.
