You think I feel dirty for writing that, don’t you? Well, you’re wrong.
Now, it is fair to say that opinion on Bell is pretty much divided. Jrod, for example, wants to keep him naked in a gilded cage. This isn’t legal, but probably should be. Balancing this view, you have the likes of Suave who want to remove him from the gene pool, preferably with fire. This isn’t legal, but probably should be.
Both, of course, are wrong. Wronger than a baby seal sandwich. Because the one thing that you can’t deny about Bell is that he’s a determined little bugger. Like the fly that keeps bashing its head on the window, in defiance of the logic that going through the open window above it might present a better option, Bell has hung on to his international career despite all of the obstacles in his way. When you are born short and ginger, and are then sent to a minor public school – so minor that you are the most notable alumnus – the temptation to give up on life and become a bank clerk must be strong.
Not Bell, though. No matter how many times you tell him that he’s not quite good enough to play international cricket, he tries to prove you wrong. Before today, one of the big complaints against him was that he only ever made big runs if everyone around him was doing the same. Yesterday, for the first time, he made a century when no-body else did.
OK, so it was ‘only’ Bangladesh. But it was the ‘only’ Bangladesh who posted over 400 in their first innings, as against an England side who only got that far because of a seventh wicket partnership which featured at least four decisions which were manifestly wrong in favour of the batsman. An England side for whom Fat Boy Bresnan will be the second top scorer.
This tour was supposed to be a sinecure for the England team, a nice rest before the rigours of the summer and winter. It has been nothing of the sort. For one or two, this may be the last time they pull on a Test shirt. For Ian Bell, it might just be the tour where he cements his place in the side. No-one has been as consistent wtih the bat on this ‘easy’ tour, and international runs count, no matter who you make them against. Could we have just witnessed the moment where Bell confirmed his place over and above that of another ginger-haired lad?