Being isolated from TV, radio and the internet at the weekend, I was blissfully unaware of what was going on at the Rose Bowl on Days 3 and 4, although I suspected rain was involved somewhere down the line. Reading the headlines in Monday's newspapers, I could be forgiven for believing that Kevin Pietersen had bludgeoned a big hundred to put England in line for a second victory of the series. It was all about his 'return to form' and removing the 'vulnerable to left-arm spin' monkey from his neck.
However, when I found the scorecard, I came to realise that the true star of the Third Test was KP's team-mate Ian Bell. The egotistical man from Natal had indeed made an excellent 85 from 115 balls, displaying a free-flowing straight bat in striking 14 boundaries. Nevertheless he had been outperformed by the quiet 29 year-old from Warwickshire, whose 119 not out had given Strauss a platform on which to make a thoughtful declaration. OK , so Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera had frustrated Eng;and's bowlers and ensured a draw on the last day. But Bell's century, his third in five first-class innings, should be fondly remembered.
He may not have struck as many boundaries as Pietersen but his ability to stick around and accumulate runs is priceless to England. He has been criticised for scoring too slowly, being prone to 'bullying' by aggressive bowlers or sledging fielders and failing to convert fifties into three-figure scores. However, in the context of Test matches, his record stands as good as anyone - Trott excepted - playing for the national team. In 65 games, he has made nearly 5000 runs at an average of more than 47. KP has played more Tests and scored more runs, albeit at an only slightly superior 48, but has scored fewer half-centuries than Bell. His conversion rate to full hundreds is better but the fact remains that Bell is a more consistent player at this level. He, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have been playing as well as any Test player in the world over the past year or so, and I like to think he has made the number five seat his own for the foreseeable future.
His Test records against Australia and India are weaker than against the other nations. However, most colleagues have suffered against the Aussies over the past decade, too. The next few months will give him the chance in three Tests to improve on a meagre return of 370 runs in 16 innings at a mere 25 facing the likes of Zaheer Khan and Harbajhan Singh. As my Player of the Week, Ian Bell can go on to become one of the players of the summer by keeping his head while others hog the headlines.
