Ian Bell hits a big hundred

Posted by
< 1 minute read

He made Elite, you know - Google itThat title’s tongue-in-cheek. You know that, right?

You do now.

Ian Bell hit 172 for Warwickshire as part of his bid to return to the England side. It’s a handy start and we’d be tempted to get ever-so-slightly agitated about it, if it weren’t for the fact that he scored 215 against Northamptonshire last season when his Test place was in a bit of doubt. We’ve been here before.

That said, Bell’s magnificent 199 against South Africa followed that innings, so he wasn’t merely indulging in county cricket batting average bolsteration – and yes, there is such a thing.

Everyone ignore Ian Bell. Maybe he’ll carry on.

DON'T BE LIKE GATT!

Mike Gatting wasn't receiving the King Cricket email when he dropped that ludicrously easy chance against India in 1993.

Coincidence?

Why risk it when it's so easy to sign up?

16 comments

  1. Ian Bell county runs = irrelevant to England

    Or at least they should be. Ian Bell will always score lots of county runs because he has a good technique and the pressure is off.

  2. I like the title of the article of the BBC. ‘Hungry Bell Compiles Big Century

    It makes it sound like he’s been writing C++ code all day rather than scoring runs. Now he’s nipping off to the shops for a can of coke and a mult-pack of hula hoops.

  3. Never mins second division achievements being discounted – surely runs at Taunton should come with a huge discount as well?

  4. He’s the modern day Ramprakash and Hick. Runs for fun in the championship, deer in headlights at international level.

    The bowling equivalent is Harmison.

  5. There’s truth in those comments Ged and Kirk.

    A tough winter playing for a South African side would do him the power of good. On his own. No-one to look after him.

    Essentially we’re saying: Ian Bell needs to grow up.

  6. I wouldn’t discard Bell as a Ramps or Hick just yet. I feel a bit sorry for him because he’s been moved around in the order so much.

    He’s not an international #3. He’s got the shots, but not the mental toughness. KP should take responsibility for the #3 spot and then somehow we shuffle four out of Bell / Collie / Ravi / Freddie / Prior into the next four slots.

    I know I would rather see Bell in the XI than Shah or Vaughan if they are the only alternatives that are going to be offered up.

  7. The problem is that a #3 batsmen needs to be, to all intents and purposes, an opener. It’s nice to think of them walking out in the 40th over with the score on 135/1, but more often than not they’ll be walking out at 10/1 to face a new ball. The best #3s in recent years have been batsmen who can shift with ease from solid and obdurate to classy and effortless, from new ball watchfulness to arms-free cover-driving. I’m thinking here about Ponting, Dravid and Younis Khan.

    Ian Bell isn’t that player (I’m not sure quite what he is, a #5 probably), but then neither is Owais Shah. Neither, crucially, is Kevin Pietersen. The best we’ve had recently, and a perfect example of the species, is Michael Vaughan (2004 edition, obviously).

    Management Theory Rule 7 – Define the problem, don’t provide the solution.

  8. If only there were an English opening batsman who was comfortable enough at three to be able to score double hundreds at Test level.

    He’d need the shots of Bell, but a more relaxed, unflappable temperament. Ideally, he’d have a wealth of experience – 30 first-class hundreds at least.

    If only such a ruddy-cheeked embodiment of perfection existed…

  9. Oh well, here goes nothing.

    17, 30, 34, 1, 1, 47, 23, 0, 52, 3, 14, 18, 4, 221, 15, 29, 4, 6, 93*, 10, 0, 41, 83, 19, 1, 9

    I make no comment. I don’t need to. The numbers speak for themselves.

  10. Last test outing was in Jan 2005. He’s matured greatly since then, both as a cricketer and as an athlete. He’s got the hunger as well. If you know what I mean. I think it’s worth a punt.

  11. Bert, are you a management theorist by trade? Saw your cat rant in TWC and it had me doubled up in hysterics for the second time (I presume it’s yours, Bert– otherwise, there’s a plaigariser on here KC!).

  12. James Hildreth has rather made a mockery of Bell’s 172 by scoring 303 not out.

    Now that’s a big hundred.

Comments are closed.