National selector John Inverarity has praised George Bailey's form ahead of the upcoming Ashes series.

Recent reports in Australia have suggested that Bailey will bat at number six against England following his recent good form in one-day international cricket and a positive assessment from Inverarity has strengthened those claims.

"His performance in ODI cricket has been outstanding," the chairman of the selectors told reporters. "Since he started 18 months ago he's been our best-performed one-day player in terms of average, aggregate runs, strike-rate.

"He's just been outstanding, so it's a thrill to see him coming on and playing so well.

"When we look at a player we look at four things: their batting, their bowling, their fielding, and their character or what else they bring to the team. George certainly brings a great deal in that character category to the team."

The first Test between the two teams begins on November 21.