Ian Bell

Profile

This right-handed batsman from Coventry, England, became a star long before he even actually made it to the national team receiving praise from the likes of Dayle Hadlee at the age of 16. Known to be a highly talented batsman, Ian Bell is one of the few English players who has established himself in all formats of the game.

Bell got his first call-up to the England squad in 2001 after playing just 13 first-class games. However, he made his Test debut as late as August 2004 against the West Indies. “Belly” became an instant star scoring 70 on debut and was given an opening to the ODI circuit against Zimbabwe later that year where he impressed once again scoring 75 bagging the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his efforts. His first big slump in international cricket came against arch-rivals Australia where Glenn McGrath and the likes restricted him to a paltry 171 runs in 10 innings. Bell recovered rapidly from the fall and turned out to be the highest run-scorer in the subsequent series against Pakistan.

The middle-order batsman received a lot of flak for not converting starts into big innings and was doubted by most cricketing experts who pondered whether he had the talent to get to the three-figure mark. A solid 110 against New Zealand and a stunning 199 against South Africa in 2008 silenced critics in an emphatic manner. He was dropped in the winter after a poor first Test against the West Indies but soon restored his place in the side and went on to score a match-winning 140 against South Africa at Durban. Over the years, Ian Bell has become one of England’s most reliable middle-order batsmen and he threatens to continue to hold that stature for a while to come.

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Career

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