Sir Ian Botham is backing Ian Bell to bounce back from his omission from England's tour of South Africa.
Five-time Ashes winner Bell, 33, was the surprise exclusion from the squad announced on Thursday , despite scoring just 571 runs in the calendar year at 25.95.
But former England all-rounder Botham told Sky Sports he believes the break will do the Warwickshire batsman good.
"I actually believe it is probably a good thing for Ian Bell - he's not been in good form," said Botham. "I think he needs a break to go away with the family, to reassess and cool down.
"It will be a bit of a shock now and he'll be a bit upset but he'll get over that and I expect to see him bounce back."
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, also overlooked for the tour, now has the opportunity to play under Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie at the Adelaide Strikers in this winter's Big Bash League.
But uncapped left arm seamer Mark Footitt, who has recently moved from Derbyshire to Surrey, was included in the squad.
Botham reflected: "I'm surprised England aren't taking Rashid. South Africa will be playing a leg-spinner - Imran Tahir - and I think Rashid is a better bowler, so that might be something to watch.
"I'm all for Mark Footitt - if he's got genuine pace and he's done some damage; alright, he's played most of his cricket in the second tier but he's now signed for a first division club and I think the experience will be good. If he can keep his pace going, he's an asset."
Watch England take on South Africa in the first Test from Durban live on Sky Sports 2 this Boxing Day from 7.30am.