Harry Brook must trust natural game in the Ashes pressure cooker, says Ian Bell

The 24-year-old averages 81.80 from his first seven Tests but the ex-England batter says the attention that comes with facing Australia will be an altogether different challenge

Former England batter Ian Bell has backed Harry Brook to be a success in the upcoming Ashes series against Australia but warns he must not change his attacking approach.

The 24-year-old Yorkshireman has shone since his debut against South Africa at the Oval last summer. He reeled off three centuries during the Pakistan tour and added another in New Zealand. Through just seven Tests he is averaging 81.80.

Now a permanent mainstay in England's middle order, Brook is braced for a central role in attempts to win back the urn. 

Bell, involved in four Ashes-winning squads as a player, told Sky Sports: "I spent a bit of time in the T20, in the Big Bash and first of all, he’s got a very good technique."

A fresh-faced 23-year-old with just three Tests under his belt, Bell took time to adapt to the demands of facing Australia in his maiden Ashes series in 2005 amid the added scrutiny around the matches.

Bell, part of four Ashes-winning squads, is warning Brook of the pressure that comes with facing Australia (IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)

"This will be a different challenge, that's what I found out when I was a young player," he added.

"Test cricket was that and then there's the Ashes. Not so much the standard but the attention, the history that comes with it", the expectation from the public just goes up a notch". 

But Bell is under no illusion how Brook, who has scored at just below a run-a-ball during his short Test career, should approach the summer.

"For me, I think he doesn't do anything different," Bell, who struck 7,727 Test runs, explained. "He just goes in there, plays as if he was playing anyone else and that's the important thing.

"We don't weigh too much expectation on him for this series. We hope he goes and delivers but it’s a different challenge, there’s absolutely no doubt about that. But in terms of ability, we’ve got a fantastic player there."

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