Bell does England13 advantage: 22 22/03/2010, David Hopps, Bangladesh cricket team, cricket, England cricket team, England in 2010, Bangladesh, guardi

Bell does England13 advantage: 22 22/03/2010, David Hopps, Bangladesh cricket team, cricket, England cricket team, England in 2010, Bangladesh, guardian.co.uk, match reports, sports Guardian Unlimited

Bangladesh 419, England 440-8

To his critics, Ian Bell will always be a hitter in shorts, but in the sweltering heat of the Shere Bangla Stadium coming of age today and finally get rid of a statistic that has been used to discredit his eventing career.

Bell reached his 10th Test hundred - 138 in a screen of less than seven hours - as England established a still uncertain by the end of the third day of the second test, but this was the first occasion that could not be accused of succeed in the shadow of someone else.

Each hundreds of others were made after a team mate of England had set the tone by reaching a century before him. There was a tight affair against Pakistan in Faisalabad when he was just beaten by Kevin Pietersen, and at other times, when the statistics he had been unfair, but the statistics do not record near-misses. It has always presented as a sign of weakness, he was always the backup child. Not anymore.

Bell's progress towards his hundred had been a setback, as he spent much of his time in the nineties not a batting helmet, but a layer of England. But again to Hossain Rubel hull in 98 and Rubel, which cut back skillfully through the starting point for the border that offered the franchise.

England only four runs adrift of Bangladesh to 419, when Bell became the sixth England batsman to fall, hitting a bad leg-side pick-up and retreating to Jahurul Islam. Tim Bresnan stubborn 214-ball unbeaten 74, his highest test score, England also assured of stability. Bresnan Yorkshire was sitting in locker rooms and has been feted by Jason Gillespie about his request for late double hundred per Australia in Bangladesh, and he intended putting in.

But Bell was on. With temperatures in the high thirties and under a blue sky industrial pollution was a day when only mad dogs and Englishmen decide to emerge from the shadows. Mad Dog is the nickname of a final would be associated with Ian Bell, but it was a small terrier of today and the reason that can take pride.

Some still scoff that it was only Bangladesh, the weakest part test in the world - certainly the weakest bowling attack to test - but came with 107 for England, three of the 42 during the second night, Jonathan Trott static and Bangladesh England's answer to 419 on the urgent need for configuration.

His response was exemplary, textbook stuff. The persistent slow left arm Shakib Al Hasan presented a challenge, like the reverse inswing conjured by Rubel, who was of a different quality to anything produced by England's attack in Bangladesh. Against the rest, took his chance.

Bell's light-footedness was his main asset. His footwork against slow bowlers often goes unnoticed, but imposed that allowed others found a way past them and as Abdur Razzak, in particular, dropped his left arm slows to result in short could mark their score along. He retired once, in 119, when Imrul Kayes, could not catch a low diving midwicket off Shafiul Islam.

Bangladesh had reason to rue his luck. Bell could have been given out on 82 when Razzak was a note low birth weight well, but without conviction appealed. Rubel also deserved to have before low birth weight with a great in-swinger to the top of his innings, but the umpire Tony Hill refused the appeal. His colleague Rod Tucker Bresnan saved at the point of silly when five.

Shakib, Bangladesh captain, who had a hand in the first four windows from England to fall - literally in the case of Graeme Swann, who was ousted as Bresnan was hit straight back into the stumps. It is possible to believe that Shakib was made deliberately.

Trott, in the third over of the morning, did not add to its 64 at night, and was a fitting end passive when the ball bounced in front pad and then challenging the elbow off the stumps.

Matt Prior played with strength of his 62 as England finally began to pick up the tempo, but was stunned by Shakib, beaten in the flight as it advanced to beat him to the ground.

When Stuart Broad low birth weight fell to Mohammad Mahmudullah in the final moments, the lead of England, suddenly looked vulnerable. As Kevin Pietersen said after the second day, remains a question that the first cracks.

England in 2010 Bangladesh
Bangladesh Cricket Team
England cricket team
Cricket
David Hopps


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