Ian Bell

Bell will be one of the biggest threats - not only because of his formidable form but also due to his amazing stats against Pakistan.  He has played 7 matches against Pakistan and scored 4 hundreds at a staggering average of 68.80.

 In Asia his average has dipped, courtesy quality spin bowling which Bell has not had the opportunity  to play against in a long time, but it is still a healthy 44.13. Bell was Muralitharan's bunny with Muralitharan having his wicket 5 times in 3 test matches (the 6th time he was runout).  So it can be said that Ajmal who is in the top bowling ranks, will definitely be a high contender to get Bell out, and Hafeez might be a close second. Bell has shown comfort against left arm spin so Rehman might not threaten him as much.

Bell in his last 16 Innings
Dismissal	Total	%
C. Wk	3	25
C. Slip	5	41.667
C. Other	1	8.333
LBW	2	16.667
Bowled	1	8.333

Bell in his Last 16 Innings
Dismissal Bowler Type	Total	C.Wk	C.Slip	C.Other	LBW	Bowled	Stumped
Left Arm Fast/Med Fast	3	0	2	1	0	0	0
Right Arm Fast/Med Fast	6	3	1	0	1	1	0
Right Arm Off Break	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Right Arm Leg Break	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Left Arm Spin	2	0	2	0	0	0	1

In the middle east, spinning tracks will challenge Bell who has not played on such a surface in almost the last 2 years - he played in Australia and England where the tracks were bouncy and pacy. He has a tendency to be adventurous outside his off stump - hence a good candidate for a bowler like Gul, to extract an edge.

Bell's 25 Innings in Asia
Dismissal	Total	%
C. Wk	6	24
C. Slip	1	4
C. Other	9	36
LBW	2	8
Bowled	4	16
Runout	1	4

Bell's 25 Innings in Asia
Dismissal Bowler Type	Total	C.Wk	C.Slip	C.Other	LBW	Bowled	Stumped
Left Arm Fast/Med Fast	2	1	0	0	1	0	0
Right Arm Fast/Med Fast	5	2	0	1	1	1	0
Right Arm Off Break	7	0	1	4	0	2	0
Right Arm Leg Break	6	3	0	2	0	1	0
Left Arm Spin	2	0	0	2	0	0	0

HOW TO GET BELL OUT:

Plan A: Bell has a fair record in Asia but whenever exposed to quality spin, he has been deceived frequently - in the past, it was Kumble and Muralitharan who got him out; it  might not be wrong to instil a close field around the bat off Ajmal's bowling. 

Plan B: Gul's outswingers will come in handy with the new ball as Bell in recent times has been a candidate to getting caught behind the wicket - in his last 16 innings which include 4 not outs, he has been dismissed 9 times by fast bowlers and 6 times it has been behind the wicket. If Pakistan hold on to the catches in the slip then they might see the back of Bell quickly. 

Posted in: Pakistan vs England