da imperador bet： Ian Bell believes England had a good day in spite of being bowled out for 299 after he top-scored with 78
Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2006Ian Bell said that England had a good day in spite of being bowled out for 299 after he top-scored with 78 on the opening day of their tour game against CCI President’s XI.
Ian Bell: ‘I think Pakistan [series] was definitely a big lift for me’ © Getty Images
Ian Bell took his time to get adjusted to the conditions and said it wasthe best approach because the pitch was such. “I think it was that kind ofwicket. When you first went in you had to be patient. I don’t think it wasone of those wickets where you were going to go in and score quickly atthe start,” Bell told reporters at the end of the day’s play. “You really had to takesome time and get yourself in. And I think that pretty much every batsmandid that. Credit to the guys early on; they saw off the new ball and gavethe rest of the guys a chance to go in and get some runs.”Despite the unofficial status of the game, Bell said the team hadprepared for it like a Test match and though the intensity could never beas high as a real Test, the players were serious in their approach. “Ithink as if we were going to play on the first day of a Test match. To goout there and play in a similar situation and not do anything different,” he continued. “It was quite nice to get out there and spend some time at the creaseagainst spinners who were actually able to get the ball to turn andbounce. So it was a good preparation in a way.”Bell was out stumped trying to hit successive sixes and after hisdismissal England collapsed from 263 for 5 to 299 all out. He said thathis rash shot was not induced by fatigue, rather it was more because of the license that a warm-up game provides, with several batsmen in the dressing room and everyone wanting to spend some time in the middle. “I think we are quite happy [withthe day’s play],” said Bell. “I think a lot of the guys who got out there got some time and some runs under their belt early on in this tour andthere’s still another innings in this warm-up game and another warm-upgame to come as well. I think it was a pretty good day for us.”After a forgettable Ashes series in England where he aggregated just 171runs in 10 innings, Bell was England’s highest run-scorer on their tour toPakistan, scoring 313 runs at 52.16. He maintained that he hadn’t changedhis game and said that his success in the subcontinent thus far had helpedboost his confidence. “After the Ashes where I would have liked to get afew more runs, I think Pakistan was definitely a big lift for me to be outthere and actually be the leading run-scorer in the team. To be honest Ididn’t try to do too much different. I tried to keep it very simple justlike I did in the Ashes and had a little bit of luck. I thought I playedquite nicely and I would not change one little bit.”