Bell has the advantage England13: 22 22/03/2010, David Hopps, Bangladesh cricket team, cricket, England cricket team, England, in 2010, Bangladesh, gu

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

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 majority 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 for the end of the third day of the second test, but this was the first time that defendant could not succeed in the shadow of someone else.

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

Bell's progress towards his hundred had been a setback, having 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, who deftly cut through the starting point of the border that offers 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 unbeaten 214 stubborn ball 74, his highest test score, England also ensure stability. Bresnan Yorkshire was sitting in the locker room and has been held by Jason Gillespie about his request for late double hundred per Australia in Bangladesh, and they intend to give in.

But Bell was on. With temperatures in the high thirties and under a blue sky industrial pollution has been a day when only mad dogs and Englishmen decide to emerge from the shadows. Mad Dog is the name of an end that is associated with Ian Bell, but it was a small dog today and why we can be proud.

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

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

Bell's light-footedness was his main asset. His footwork against slow bowlers often overlooked, but imposed that allowed others found a way past them and as Abdur Razzak, in particular, dropped his left arm slows the short term could result in mark over his score. He retired once, in 119, when Imrul Kayes, could not take a dive Off Shafiul Islam midwicket.

Bangladesh had reason to rue his luck. Bell could have been given out on 82 when Razzak was a note and low birth weight, but without conviction appealed. Rubel also deserved to have before low birth weight with a large in-swinger to the top of their tickets, 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 beaten back at the stumps. It is possible to believe that Shakib was done 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 off the front pad and then the elbow defiant strains.

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

When Stuart Broad low birth weight fell to Mohammad Mahmudullah in the final moments, the example 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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