NOTTINGHAM: Peter Nevill did not ask for it to happen like this. To be thrust into the midst of one of the most controversial and emotion-charged selection furores - or non-selection furores, to be exact - in the recent history of the Australian team.

As the tourists pull themselves together to, first, try and save these Ashes and then, if things go to plan at Trent Bridge this week, bid to retain them at the Oval, the lingering storm over the way in which Brad Haddin's career has effectively been ended just won't go away.

The ex-players have had their say, now the English press have tucked in as well, salivating at the prospect that Haddin's axing may be just the ticket to send over the cliff an Australian campaign that after a major touch-up at Edgbaston is teetering on the edge.

Amidst all this is the reserved and carefully spoken Nevill, the former long-time deputy at NSW to Haddin anointed as his successor but who was more than willing to bide his time until when the veteran was done.

Even after a fine debut in the second Test Nevill had insisted he remained Haddin's back-up.

It's not his fault, though, that selectors, convinced he is the man for not only the future but right now, had other ideas and all he has done since is vindicate what Darren Lehmann called the toughest call of his career. He's here to play Test cricket and having been given the opportunity, no matter the highly sensitive and unfortunate way it came about, he's so far done so very well.

"It's obviously a complex situation but all I can really focus on was I've been selected to do that job and I had to do it as best as I could," Nevill said.

"'Hadds' has just carried himself magnificently. Obviously it's been very difficult circumstances for him since having to pull out of Lord's, but he's been incredibly supportive of me and has gone out of his way to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be to play the Test matches. He's a wonderful guy, I've said it many times."

It's hard to believe this Ashes campaign is where it is given the sheer magnitude of the Australian win in Nevill's debut at Lord's. They travelled to Nottingham on Sunday - which had they not been beaten in 21/2 days would have been the fifth day of the third Test. After how their tour has dramatically swung off course it would be understandable if most didn't want to set foot in Birmingham ever again.

Nevill, however, maintains that the dim outlook on where this squad is at - with a captain terribly out of form, a middle order failing, bowlers off their lines and lengths and reported discontent about Haddin's sacking - does not reflect what he sees.

"The atmosphere is great," he said. "Everyone enjoys each other's company and laughs and jokes around.

"Obviously it hurts losing but the focus is now on bouncing back and winning the next Test match."

The under-performing Australian middle order will need to be better to do that. The ideal scenario is that Nevill, drawing one of Haddin's most noted qualities, doesn't have to try and bail them out but as he showed with his gutsy, second-innings 59 at Edgbaston he has the ability to do so.

One of the form batsmen in the Sheffield Shield last season it's some step up to Test cricket but he believed even before that first half-century that he belonged.  Even as Australia were heading towards inevitable defeat he managed to enjoy himself.

"I sort of felt that I'd done the work to get here and I haven't been concerned that I'm not up to it," Nevill said.

"I had a number of moments where the crowd are very vocal and the England quicks are steaming in and I just took a little moment to think to myself 'how much fun is this?'"

The hope for Australia is they will have a heck of a lot more fun at Trent Bridge than they did at Edgbaston.