A trio of England Test rookies has emerged as contenders to fill the vacant spot left by the departure of Jonathan Trott, according to the Australian media.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, uncapped duo Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes and the out-of-favour Jonny Bairstow are all in contention to come into the England line-up for the second Test and will get their chance to impress in a two-day tour game against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI starting Friday in Alice Springs.
Although Trott has struggled against Australia this year, averaging 26 in six Tests, he was a key to England's success three years ago and his century on debut in 2009 helped his team regain the urn against Ricky Ponting's side, the report said.
England have resisted the temptation to call in a replacement such as the Sydney-raised Sam Robson, believing they have the talent within their original squad to fill the void, but there is likely to be a major reshuffle of their batting order for the second Test in Adelaide, the report added.
Trott's absence could see the fresh faced Joe Root moved back up the order, from No.6 to first drop, and pave the way for Bairstow to return or a Test debut to either Ballance or all-rounder Stokes, the report further said.
Another option likely to be considered is the promotion of middle-order rock Ian Bell to the high pressure slot of No.3 so that whoever comes into the team for Trott can find their feet lower down the order, according to the report.
