Cricket: Middlesex 298; Warwickshire 277-6

There are those who, on the strength of Ian Bell's classy maiden Test innings of 70 at The Oval last year, believed strongly that it should be he rather than Rob Key who toured South Africa last winter.

Bell made 143 not out yesterday, phlegmatically carving out the 12th hundred of his career on a day of biffing breeze and two-sweater temperatures at Edgbaston, but the case remains open: Key made a rollicking century for Kent.

Bell, towards the end of a highly impressive season last year, had batted with unflappable assurance, his technique compact and correct with no frills or frippery. His adversary on the other hand, though well liked and with his CV massively enhanced not only by consistently powerful performances for Kent but by those for England too, still displayed the sort of fault - closing the face of the bat around his front pad and, off the back foot, just pushing away from the comfort zone of his body outside off stump - that the best bowlers would look to exploit mercilessly.

In the end selectorial judgment, though not necessarily disagreeing with the assessment, went with Key. It would, after all, have been hard to ignore a fellow who had made a Test double century only a few weeks previously and who contributes so much to the life and soul of a healthy team spirit. So Bell was made captain of the A team instead and was sent off to Sri Lanka, where he made a superb century in the opening match in Colombo against Sri Lanka A and, along with Owais Shah, generally looked a cut above anything else on show.

For his part, Key had a modest winter and the topic of the England middle order is once again on the agenda, the issue further clouded by Kevin Pietersen's one-day success. Hampshire's extrovert may have to wait his turn, though.

This was an impressive performance from Bell, singlehandedly holding together the Warwickshire innings after a morning washed out by persistent drizzle.

The only semblance of a chance came when, on 61, he played back to Alan Richardson, a lively seamer hitting the splices of his former team-mates with some force, and saw the ball bounce down and on to his stumps without dislodging a bail. A couple of years ago, when he was the new young hope but could not buy a run, the bails would have been dislodged. Now, it seems, the force is with him.

Like many small batsmen, he looks his best when on the back foot (none of the seamers could find quite the right length to drag him forward without them overpitching) but drives precisely and powerfully when given the chance.

Some of his footwork against the off-spin of Paul Weekes was exemplary, a skip down the pitch turning a decent ball into a full toss to be punched away through extra cover to take him to a 3-hour century. By the close he had hit 18 fours in his 143 with, greedy lad that he is, the prospect in his head of a hatful more today.