England batsman Ian Bell hopes Glenn McGrath will be fit for next week's deciding Test against Australia at The Oval even though his return could help boost the tourists' chances of retaining the Ashes.
England, who have lost the last eight Ashes series, head to south London with a 2-1 lead over Australia in the five-match encounter. But their narrow victories at Edgbaston, and most recently at Trent Bridge, have come when veteran fast bowler McGrath has been sidelined with ankle and elbow injuries respectively.
By contrast, McGrath took match figures of nine for 82 when Australia won the series opener at Lord's by 239 runs.
And it was last man McGrath, together with fellow tailender Brett Lee, who heled out to deny England the final wicket they needed to win the drawn third Test at Old Trafford where a victory would have now left them an unbeatable 3-1 up in the series.
However, middle-order batsman Bell told reporters at Lord's here Thursday he wanted to face McGrath again.
"It doesn't matter what XI is on the park and in a way it would be nice to see Glenn McGrath playing at The Oval," insisted Bell ahead of next Thursday's start at The Oval where England must avoid defeat if they are to win the Ashes for the first time since 1986-87.
"If we can regain the Ashes and there best team is on the park, that's the best thing for us."
Bell, 23, has long been touted as one of England's best young batsman and was left with a ludicrous Test average of nearly 300 after making 70 not out on debut against West Indies last year and following that up with big scores in the home series against Bangladesh earlier this season, including a Test-best 162 not out at the Riverside.
However, in his first full series, Bell has been averaging a mere 21 against Australia, although he did make an important 65 at Old Trafford.
"Looking back, this is my first full series and this is as tough as it gets against the best side in the world.
"I realise going to Pakistan and India, that's tough cricket but this is as tough it gets, the three Test matches just gone and if you keep working hard you can really push to do well at this level."
"To me the whole summer has been a massive learning curve, the ups and downs, and it's been fantastic for me, at this age, to have that experience."
Bell who was at Lord's ahead of Saturday's C and G Trophy one-day final at the ground, where he will appear for Warwickshire against Hampshire, said his breakthrough into the international arena owed much to the influence of Warwickshire coach John Inverarity, the former Australia batsman, who is now in his last season with the county before returning to Australia.
"I owe a lot to John. He's very old-fashioned, in a way, I guess in his approach to four-day cricket and his techniques.
"Especially in my game, he's helped me a lot in being side-on and just with the shapes of my shots and stuff like that. He has a few drills we go through and it's something I'll probably take through the rest of my career. He's really moved my game forward.
"The other part is off the field as well and getting me away from the Warwickshire environment and England schools environment and sending me to Perth. He was a big one for that and making me look after myself.
"I owe a lot to him for that. He's someone that's helped me move from a young, schoolboy cricketer to a professional county cricketer and hopefully a bit more."
Bell will be one of three England players on show at Lord's on Saturday after he, his Warwickshire team-mate and left-arm spinner Ashley Giles as well as hard-hitting Hampshire batsman Kevin Pietersen were all released by England coach Duncan Fletcher.
And of the contest between Pietersen and Giles, he said: "Ashley's got a lot of experience, he's a fantastic one-day bowler. Kevin will come after him, I'm pretty sure, and it will be great to watch."
"I'll try to get myself out of short leg for that one and in the slips."
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