It's all about Ian Bell

[SteveNZ]

I had to share this...this is the funniest **** I've read in years.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/ian-bell-claims-england-have-psychological-hold-over-scared-aussies-defeat-1st-test-victory/news-story/684f266b2648dae64164de211ed23c61

I'll leave out the fluff and just focus on the important stuff - the stuff about Ian 'I averaged 17 in all five Tests of the 2005 Ashes series' Bell, in an article that in no way should be about Ian Bell.

“I know a thing or two about coming from behind to win a home Ashes series – and I know a thing or two about Edgbaston epics.”

“Back in 2005, when I was right at the start of my England career, the tight result went our way,” Bell said.

“First, in the field setting for England’s batters in the first innings. They had sweepers out on the off- and on-side after three overs. I’d never seen anything like it and as someone who has experienced the pressure cooker of an Ashes series – I won five out of seven – being afforded an easy option for a single as a batter like that would have been unheard of.

“I had plenty of send-offs when I was playing this lot, believe me. It is part of it.

 

[JustAnotherCluelessPunter]

Bell is right on the money.

Australia are scared. So what if they won a game, the new game is about how you play. Australia are the real losers.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Why's he talking like he reached Sir Vivian Richard levels of batsmanship against Australia..He averaged 35 against them his entire career ..

 

[Molehill]

Why's he talking like he reached Sir Vivian Richard levels of batsmanship against Australia..He averaged 35 against them his entire career ..

Helped enormously by averaging 66 in the 2010/11 series.

But he did have a nice cover drive.....

 

[Gob]

Bell's best was 13. England probably losing 3 - 1 to one of the worst or atleast inexperienced Aust sides ever to tour England without him

 

[trundler]

I still don't know how he racked up 22 tons. Averaging 43 during his career is like averaging 37 these days so he's probably the equivalent of someone like Bavuma but with 20 more tons.

 

[Molehill]

I still don't know how he racked up 22 tons. Averaging 43 during his career is like averaging 37 these days so he's probably the equivalent of someone like Bavuma but with 20 more tons.

There's two ways of looking at it. I'm still not sure how someone with his technique only got 22 tons. He's arguably the most technically correct batsman England have had this century. But he lacked the mindset of the likes of Cook or Root.

 

[CartyDurham]

The most frustrating England player I’ve watched and now Crawley is up there in those stakes

could look a million dollars then get out to a truly pathetic shot

 

[Uppercut]

He dominated an entire Ashes series where everyone else found batting impossible and somehow never gets any credit for it.

 

[Michelle Fivefer]

Helped enormously by averaging 66 in the 2010/11 series.

But he did have a nice cover drive.....

Best in the business...

 

[Michelle Fivefer]

The most frustrating England player I’ve watched and now Crawley is up there in those stakes

could look a million dollars then get out to a truly pathetic shot

Bell was my favourite player.

 

[CartyDurham]

Bell was my favourite player.

He could look brilliant and the next ball get caught mid off

I think his final average was below his ability personally.

he was surrounded with a lot of great players that helped him to 5 ashes wins

 

[Son Of Coco]

If Bell said some of the stuff that article quotes him as having said, then it appears he still has a massive inferiority complex.

 

[OverratedSanity]

He dominated an entire Ashes series where everyone else found batting impossible and somehow never gets any credit for it.

It seems like that ashes series is forgotten entirely not just bell's performance in it. The trentbridge test in that series was as good an ashes test as there's been in the last 20 odd years but feels like a forgotten classic. Kind of makes sense, the return ashes whitewash which was only a few months later completely overshadowed it.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Bell is right on the money.

Australia are scared. So what if they won a game, the new game is about how you play. Australia are the real losers.

Indeed. It was odd watching Cummins celebrate like a madman at the end there like he didnt even realise his team lost the run rate battle smh.

 

[Coronis]

Bell is right on the money.

Australia are scared. So what if they won a game, the new game is about how you play. Australia are the real losers.

If the username fits..


Also lol stfu Bell you mediocre ****

 

[sledger]

Bell is one of those players with whom people, apparently randomly, seem to develop a weird fascination in attempting to discredit despite his many self-evidently impressive achievements. Would make more sense if proponents of his made a lot of fanfare about him or whatever, and fed some idea that he was possibly significantly overrated. But the impression I get is that when asked about him most English fans would say something like "oh yeah he was quite good".

 

[GoodAreasShane]

It seems like that ashes series is forgotten entirely not just bell's performance in it. The trentbridge test in that series was as good an ashes test as there's been in the last 20 odd years but feels like a forgotten classic. Kind of makes sense, the return ashes whitewash which was only a few months later completely overshadowed it.

Agreed, feels like by far the most forgotten Ashes of any in my lifetime. Feel like Agar's 98 and Broad staying put at the crease are all anyone here in Australia ever remembers.

Bell in that series definitely forgotten somewhat, so too are some of the spells Ryan Harris bowled then

 

[Ashes81]

He dominated an entire Ashes series where everyone else found batting impossible and somehow never gets any credit for it.

Mate - don't be posting sensible stuff like that in this thread.

We all know Bell was a very good batsman but the narrative of this thread is that he's English therefore he's ****.

 

[trundler]

Mate - don't be posting sensible stuff like that in this thread.

We all know Bell was a very good batsman but the narrative of this thread is that he's English therefore he's ****.

No, he's a beneficiary of English test spam during his peak and happened to play at the intersection of the most roady era ever and the lowest pace bowling stocks worldwide since the '60s. He had some great performances, of course, but his collection of notable performances and general ranking during his career never really exceeded what Asad Shafiq or Ajinkya Rahane achieved later on. Technically, he had a (much) more mild version of Ollie Pope Syndrome but fortunately for him, it was exposed a lot less owing to the generally low standard of bowling mentioned above. His conversion rate for a #5/6 is only bettered by Clarke from memory but when you look at his best runs you can see why he feels nowhere the quality of say, Gundappa Viswanath despite having marginally better aggregates. In 2011, he got 5 tons in 8 matches but when you look at the mighty SL and Indian attacks he faced it's abundantly clear why. When Viswanath tonned up he was more often than not playing a lone hand and sometimes doubling the next best batsman instead of being the 3rd batsman to score a century that day. In the grand scheme of things, Viswanath is a fairly forgotten batsman so no wonder why there aren't more odes written to Ian Bell.