The Ashes 2013-14: England can fight fire with fire by having Ian Bell at No 3 against Australia in Adelaide England felt they could intimidate Australia but Brisbane has changed that dynamic. Australia shocked England with their sledging and hostile short-pitched bowling. It caught England on the hop. They did not rate Mitchell Johnson, and I can understand that given the way he has bowled in previous Ashes, but in recent times he has shown signs of maturing and is bowling as well as we all knew he could. In any sport you should never underestimate your opponent regardless of how poor they have been. This is especially true of a proud sporting nation like Australia during an Ashes series which brings the best out of you. I will be interested in England's reaction. Jonathan Trott has gone home and we all wish him the best. But obviously it was a risk to bring him to Australia and throw him into an Ashes series if he has been struggling with issues for a time. The key for England is to match the intensity of the Australians. Everyone can see the Aussies had more determination and played with more passion than England. Australia looked like they really cared and it mattered to every player. England seem to have a lot of issues, which should not be the case after just one Test. They should believe they are still the best side in the series and should come out and play well in Adelaide. But I am not hearing that from England. All we are hearing is about issues over sledging, David Warner being nasty and bouncers from Johnson. There will be no respite in Adelaide. There will be more aggression and hostility from the Aussies. It is a question of how England cope: so far they have been shocked and seem confused. I believe they have to bat Ian Bell at three. He has the perfect technique, is in the form of his life and arguably their best player. He was the difference between the teams in England so why not put your best batsman at three to give him a chance to counter-attack or put the innings back on track if an early wicket is lost. Joe Root is a fantastic young talent and will be an England player for a long time. I like his determination. You can tell from his body language and the way he played in Brisbane in the second innings that he has something. But he would benefit from staying lower down the order, where he can get a feel for the Test game before slowly moving back up again. I can see him being a fantastic No 3 in two or three years" time, but right now Bell has to bat there. I look at Matt Prior and believe he really needs to put his hand up in Adelaide and volunteer to bat at six. He has to admit he is not batting well and had a lean time against Australia but he has to show guts and bat at six so they can play the all-rounder, Ben Stokes, or Tim Bresnan at seven and two spinners. He cannot let Stokes, on Test debut in a crucial Ashes match, bat at six. It would help Prior too. He is hiding down at seven. If he misses out on runs when everyone else has struggled then he can say to himself his dismissal did not matter. If he comes in when the team are doing well then it is easy to put the icing on the cake. He has done a wonderful job down the years at seven but, given the circumstances, with the Ashes on the line, a senior player has to take on responsibility for moving up and getting the all-rounder in. That is a test of a senior player and he must lead the way. Graeme Swann really needs to lift his game too. He has not been successful here in Australia but he must find a way quickly. Swann has done a wonderful job in most parts of the world, and in some of the toughest places to play cricket, but he has never done it in Australia. It is hard to bowl spin in Australia. The wickets are not responsive. They do turn towards the end but they are tough on days one to three. The wickets are so true and bouncy that there is no margin for error. If you bowl well you can get rewarded but bowl poorly and you will be punished. It is easier to bowl fast. Nathan Lyon outbowled him in Brisbane. Swann did not get turn or bounce on one of Australia's most responsive pitches, and that is a worrying sign. I am super-excited about Adelaide. It will be a battle of courage and England must come out and fight fire with fire.