Bell Proves His Worth

Fifteen months ago Ian Bell would not even have merited a nickname from the Australians. He simply did not hang around for long enough for them to come up with one. This time, in a perversely back-handed compliment, Shane Warne has been calling him "The Shermanator" in tribute to the red-haired geek in the film American Pie. The old Bell would have cowered. The new Bell has answered back. In a difficult winter for England, no triumph has been too minor.

Yesterday, while Bell was adding 170 with Alastair Cook - England's highest partnership for the second wicket in Australia for more than 50 years - it was just about possible to discern a glimpse of a more promising future. Bell eventually fell for 87, which means he still awaits his first hundred against Australia. But he is averaging 37 against them this time round compared with 17 in 2005: not world-class, perhaps, but the basis for some serious negotiation further down the line.

More than that, he has been taking the attack to Warne, who has responded with a sustained verbal assault against a player he had hoped would become the new Daryll Cullinan, the South African batsman who sought psychiatric advice when Warne's overbearing genius became all too much.

But Bell has risen above the jibes, and put behind him the second-innings duck he made at Brisbane, where Warne got him with the slider. He lofted Warne's third ball of the day over mid-off for four, launched his sixth down the ground and over the ropes, and ended up milking the world's leading wicket-taker for 50 runs in 59 balls. The approach was all part of a new-found chest-out defiance. And it has not gone unnoticed among the Australians.

"Warney had it all over him last series," said Glenn McGrath, who dismissed Bell three times in 2005 but is yet to take his wicket this winter. "I always felt I could knock him over as well. He's matured a lot since then, and he's obviously got a lot of confidence from the way he's played in the last 12 months. He's even showed he's prepared to come down the wicket to Shane. He's not sitting back and waiting for something to happen. He's happy to take it to him. He's come a long way, so it's looking good for England in the future."

Barring some kind of medical miracle, McGrath will not be around the next time these sides meet in 2009, and neither will Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist and maybe Warne himself. But Bell will be 27 and the proud ownera if everything goes to plana of a half-century of Test caps and a few thousand runs.

And, at a point where the good news has been in short supply, the feeling is that England can take the field against the touring Australians in less than three years' time with the same top five that has represented them here. Uncertainty over Andrew Flintoff's ankle precludes optimism that the entire top six might be intact, but the emergence of Adil Rashid, Yorkshire's leg-spinning all-rounder, means that this need not be the disaster it might once have seemed.

Yesterday, as the 21-year-old Cook reflected on his maiden Ashes century, he spoke about a partnership that England are hoping will serve them well for much of the next decade. "We're both quite laidback characters," he said. "We ground them down well in the first session and we were just starting to grind them in the second session. We just tried to concentrate and not make any silly mistakes. I thought Ian played very well and got us going. It was just disappointing he couldn't get his hundred."

Still, England would have settled in advance for a character-building century stand between the two youngest members of their top six. All things being equal, it will not be the last.

How England could line up in 2009


Andrew Strauss


Age in 2009: 32

Should be the wise old head of England's batting line-up and probably the captain too. His series average of 18 this time can be put down to two poor shots at Brisbane and three poor umpiring decisions.

Alastair Cook


24

The sky's the limit. Averages 49 after 12 Tests and needs only to add more strokes to his repertoire, especially the slog-sweep.

Ian Bell


27

Will be entering his prime. And might even have earned a more flattering nickname.

Kevin Pietersen


29

It will be a scandal if his average has slipped below 50 by the time Australia arrive. He ought to move up a slot too.

Paul Collingwood


33

The battle-hardened nuts and bolts of the middle order. His fielding should still be world-class.

Adil Rashid


21

Took 25 wickets at 25.16 in his first full season and is a batsman of genuine potential. A good outside bet if Flintoff's ankle has packed in.

Steve Davies


23

Worcestershire's wicketkeeper and former England Under-19 captain scored more than 1,000 championship runs last summer. Widely tipped to step up.

Sajid Mahmood


27

It will be a huge disappointment if this bowler, who tends to blow hot and cold, has not become an England regular by 2009. More sympathetic captaincy might help.

Stuart Broad


23

The Leicestershire fast bowler has already played five one-day internationals and is working hard on his batting too.

Monty Panesar


27

Should have established himself as a regular match-winner and a more than reliable No10.

Matthew Hoggard


32

His fitness record is exemplary, so no reason why he should not still be swinging it into the left-hander's pads. Chris Tremlett is waiting in the wings if not.