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Posted by 
That title’s tongue-in-cheek. You know that, right?
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.
That’s his spot secured for the summer, then.
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.
Never mins second division achievements being discounted – surely runs at Taunton should come with a huge discount as well?
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.
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.
And here’s the reason he didn’t make any at Lord’s
http://www.wisdencricketer.com/blog/?p=549
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.
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.
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…
Nice work King:
Bugger, doesn’t allow embedded pictures! There was supposed to be this picture after the colon.
http://www.danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2007/12/fry-see-what-you-did-there-scaled.jpg
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.
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.
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!).
James Hildreth has rather made a mockery of Bell’s 172 by scoring 303 not out.
Now that’s a big hundred.