Alec Stewart told Sky Sports News Ian Bell will prove he is a more than capable replacement for Kevin Pietersen in this week's third Ashes Test.

Bell, 27, was recalled to the England side as a replacement for injury victim Pietersen who will now miss the rest of the series.

Yet even though Bell averages 25.10 against Australia, former England captain Stewart believes the right-hander is the right man to step in.

"I'm a big fan of Ian Bell. Obviously it is a big disappointment Kevin Pietersen won't be at Edgbaston - he is certainly going to be missed. He is a world-class player and England's best batsman by far.

"But Ian Bell warrants being selected. He's always been around the squad since being left out and he's scored runs for Warwickshire so going back to his home territory he will be desperate to score and score well.

"That middle-order is strong enough. I always call Paul Collingwood England's Steve Waugh. When it's tough he always stands up and performs, so no worries there. Three Test matches ago we were all singing Ravi Bopara's praises so I've no problems at all (with the line-up)."

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who inspired England to victory in the second Test at Lord's, remains troubled by a chronic knee problem and could find the going tough at Edgbaston on a pitch described by groundsman Steve Rouse as "like jelly".

While Stewart is uncertain whether Flintoff should play, he is certain England must get Durham paceman Steve Harmison into the starting XI if at all possible.

"It's all down to Flintoff," said Stewart. "Obviously he will be guided by the medical team. But I was with him on Tuesday and he's desperate to play in all three (of the remaining Tests).

"The biggest problem is that Edgbaston and Headingley are back-to-back Test matches. He may only play in two of the three Test matches - he may not be right for Headingley. We may have to see how his body is.

"With the weather we've had a lot of water has got onto the (Edgbaston) square. The suggestion is that it's not solid, it's not dry all of the way through which may mean it is going to be a slow surface.

"If that's the case then Harmison may not feature. They may still stick with Graham Onions who can seam and swing the ball. But I'm a big Harmison fan and if there is any opportunity and the pitch says there will be a little bit of bounce then I would get Harmison in and make sure he's playing."

Australia, 1-0 down in the series, have several selection problems of their own given the waywardness of seamer Mitchell Johnson and Phillip Hughes' poor run at the top of the order.

"I think they will stick with Johnson. He's had a tough time but he's already taken eight wickets in the two Test matches and yet he's bowled badly," said Stewart.

"So he is certainly a wicket-taker. Yes, he is going at four or five runs an over, which is a problem, but I would expect the Australians to bring in Stuart Clark, the Glenn McGrath-like bowler, who will give the captain Ricky Ponting plenty of control and make sure that if Mitchell Johnson doesn't get it right they can still throw the ball to Clark and say 'do your job'.

"He (Hughes) came over with a big reputation after just two or three Test matches but they seem to have found a little weakness in his play - the short ball bowled very much at his right shoulder. He hasn't yet found a method to cope with that.

"So they will try and exploit that again. He got a few runs up at Northamptonshire in the recent game but he's certainly not the confident, young player that I expected to see come over here."