Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodster
Ian Bell was the major disappointment for me today, was really hoping he could come up trumps in this Test and dispel any fears of his place becoming under increasing threat. As I've said on previous occasions I'm a big fan of Bell, he is one of the most attractive batsmen to watch in world cricket, but I realise that doesn't guarantee Test runs.
I don't necessarily go along with the thoery that he cannot score runs when the team needs them most, and he can succeed in trying conditions, but not with the kind of consistency that means his place in the side never comes under serious scrutiny.
I did think after a few breakthroughs in the last couple of years that he really could kick on and become one of the world's very top batsmen, but he has failed to live up to those expectations so far and his struggles in Asia cannot be understated and are no coincidence. For someone with his talent, I would have expected him to learn lessons from the past and certainly improved his play in that part of the world if not necessarily conquer it.
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He clearly lacks the temperament for Test cricket. He has all the talent in the world and then some. However, far too often in pressurised situations he comes up short. I also don't buy the idea that under pressure he
never succeeds; he has already done so. However, over a period of time, he seldomly does it when necessary and that isn't good enough. Look at KP, a guy that gets labelled constantly as someone who is not team orientated. He batted for time, reined himself in and settled England down yesterday. Bell was incapable and his wicket was just dire. That shot in that situation is just inexcusable to me.