Elegant batsman made 22 hundreds in 118 Tests and produced his best cricket in the second half of his England career
The boy down to bat at No5 had turned 14 only the previous month. By the time he came in, his team needed another ten runs to win. The opposition captain was bowling, he’s played over-fifties cricket for his county, and had almost 40 years on the boy facing. Ping. The kid hit him for four. Ping. The kid hit him for four more. They won by seven wickets. That was at the Bull’s Head ground in Coventry, back in May 1996, Coventry and North Warwickshire v Old Edwardians. All these years later, the boy’s 38, has played 118 Tests, 161 one-day internationals, and, this week, he’s playing the last of his 312 first class games.
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Written by Andy Bull
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/sep/08/ian-bell-the-teenage-phenomenon-who-finally-fulfilled-his-huge-promise under the title “The Spin | Ian Bell: the teenage phenomenon who finally fulfilled his huge promise”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
