Monday 20 September 2010

Bell offers new captaincy alternative

Bell has been in fine form for Warwickshire and his captaincy has been a bonus.

Ian Bell gave the England selectors a timely boost on Saturday with a magnificent ton in Warwickshire Bear’s Clydesdale Bank 40 triumph over Somerset at Lords.

It was not just his batting that caught the eye but his captaincy stood out as a huge bonus point for everyone involved in the England set-up.

Andrew Strauss is England’s current skipper and he is doing a fine job. The opener picked up the reigns after a torrid time for England where they lost their captain and coach.

Since then England, under Strauss and Andy Flower, have won an Ashes series, the World Twenty20 and have climbed to number two in the World in the ODI rankings.

At 33, Strauss is the best placed man to lead England into a tough 6 months of cricket but he will not be able to lead the side forever.

For many, England only has one alternative for the skipper’s role which is Strauss’s opening partner Alastair Cook. He is the current vice-captain and stood in for Strauss when he was rested for England’s trip to Bangladesh in February.

England left the sub-continent with two series victories where they won every game under their stand-in captain.

The problem for Cook and England is his lack of captaincy experience. The Bangladesh tour was his first taste of captaincy in the senior game.

The Essex star has captained junior sides he has never taken charge of his county and while he is still a front runner to take over from Strauss, Bell’s emergence is only a positive thing for England.

The Warwickshire stand-in captain led his side to victory in the Lord’s showpiece final with great assurance. His knock with the bat ultimately won the game but he out-captained ex-England star Marcus Trescothick to give his side the advantage.

Since returning from a broken foot Bell has captained his county leaving quite an impression. He has managed his bowlers well and with authority. His field placing has been imaginative and has put pressure on opposition batsmen.

The 28-year-old has also handled Warwickshire’s star bowler Imran Tahir impressively. The leg spinner has been the Bear’s stand out performer in one-day cricket and he took five wickets in the final.

Bell brought the bowler on to kill Somerset off and it is just what Tahir did. He bowled form the right end at Lords and the fields set by his captain asserted extra pressure on the opposition.

The captaincy had a positive effect on his batting. The Bears were in a bit of trouble at 39-3 until Bell took full control of the match. He played with power and precision playing shots all around the wicket. It was in stark contrast to the Bell who made his Test debut as a raw 22-year-old.

He made 70 on his debut against the West Indies back in 2004 but struggled to build on the innings against an Australian attack boasting Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne. He failed to dominate at the crease and was seen as easy pickings by his opponents. But Bell now seems to be the complete player and following his innings at Lords was reinstated to the England team for the final two matches of the summer.

Bell is now an integral part of the England set-up and will play a massive role in England’s bid to retain the Ashes down under.

This could prove the key issue in the race to succeed Strauss. Cook has had technical problems with the bat of late and there have been calls from some quarters for him to be dropped from the national set up and sent back to hone his technique in the county game.
Whereas Bell is now a mainstay of the England side and at 28, with 57 Test matches to his name, it could be the Coventry born batsmen’s time to lead from the front.

Whatever happens from now until Strauss steps down from the captaincy, England now have two serious options for the top job in English cricket.

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