Ian Bell Profile

Once described by Dayle Hadlee as the best 16-year old he had ever seen, Ian Bell had been earmarked for greatness long before he was drafted onto the England tour of New Zealand in 2001-02, as cover for the injured Mark Butcher. 

Technically sound, Bell is a top-order batsman very much in the mould of Michael Atherton, who was burdened with similar expectations when he made his England debut a generation ago. But unlike Atherton, who invariably produced his best when his back was firmly against the wall, Bell's most fluent efforts have generally come about in a pressure vacuum, a trait that belies an average hovering around the 40 mark, and a record of a century every five or so Tests.

When in form, he is particularly adept at leaving the ball outside off stump, and he received glowing reviews from coaches at every stage of his development, not least from Rod Marsh at the England Academy, a man not given to hyperbole. A former England U19 captain, Bell had played just 13 first-class games when called into the England squad, though in 2001 he scored 836 runs for Warwickshire at an average of over 64, including three centuries. Amid all the attention, Bell's form slumped, but by 2004 he was on his way back. 

He finally made his Test debut against West Indies in August 2004, stroking 70 in his only innings, before returning the following summer to lift his career average to an obscene 297 with two unbeaten innings against Bangladesh, including his maiden Test century at Chester-le-Street. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn't find such easy pickings on offer for the rest of the summer. Found out - like so many others - by Australia's champions, McGrath and Warne, he mustered just 171 runs in ten innings, but bounced back that winter, top-scoring for the series against Pakistan, including a classy century at Faisalabad. 

After seeking advice from Alec Stewart to assert himself at the crease, he struck three elegant centuries in successive Tests against Pakistan and went to Australia with a new-found belief, having been named ICC's young player of the year for 2006. He was targeted by the Australian sledging, but managed four elegant half-centuries to confirm his stature as a Test batsman. By the end of England's disappointing World Cup campaign in March and April, Bell was one of a handful of squad members to have established themselves in both forms of the game.

Yet for all his class, the doubts persisted in his inability to convert fifties into match-turning hundreds. His critics were briefly quietened after making 110 against New Zealand in Napier and a career-best 199 against South Africa at Lord's, but an unproductive winter saw him dropped after the first Test of the West Indies tour. He returned midway through the Ashes, however, and responded with a pair of half-centuries in three Tests, including a gutsy 72 on the first day of the final Test at The Oval. One Test later, he was back under pressure after failing twice in the opening Test against South Africa at Centurion. However, with the critics circling he responded with a sublime 140 to help set up an innings victory for England in the second Test at Durban, before helping to save the next match at Cape Town with a steely five-hour 78. 

Born April 11, 1982, Walsgrave, Coventry, Warwickshire 

Current age 28 years 246 days

Major teams England, England Lions, Marylebone Cricket Club, Warwickshire,  Warwickshire Cricket Board

Nickname Belly

Playing role Top-order batsman

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm medium

Height 5 ft 10 in 

Education Princethorpe College, Rugby

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	59	102	11	4007	199	44.03	7925	50.56	11	25	461	18	50	0
ODIs	83	80	8	2622	126*	36.41	3625	72.33	1	16	262	11	24	0
T20Is	5	5	1	109	60*	27.25	99	110.10	0	1	14	1	4	0
First-class	177	298	30	12092	262*	45.11			32	64			127	0
List A	205	195	20	6811	158	38.92			7	49			70	0
Twenty20	42	41	6	860	85	24.57	761	113.00	0	4	76	21	16	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	59	6	108	76	1	1/33	1/33	76.00	4.22	108.0	0	0	0
ODIs	83	6	88	88	6	3/9	3/9	14.66	6.00	14.6	0	0	0
T20Is	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
First-class	177		2809	1564	47	4/4		33.27	3.34	59.7	3	0	0
List A	205		1290	1138	33	5/41	5/41	34.48	5.29	39.0	0	1	0
Twenty20	42	10	132	186	3	1/12	1/12	62.00	8.45	44.0	0	0	0

Career statistics

Test debut     England v West Indies at The Oval, Aug 19-21, 2004
Last Test     Australia v England at Adelaide, Dec 3-7, 2010
ODI debut     Zimbabwe v England at Harare, Nov 28, 2004
Last ODI     England v Pakistan at Southampton, Sep 22, 2010
T20I debut     England v Pakistan at Bristol, Aug 28, 2006
Last T20I     England v New Zealand at Manchester, Jun 13, 2008
First-class debut     1999
Last First-class     Victoria v England XI at Melbourne, Dec 10-12, 2010
List A debut     1999
Last List A     England v Pakistan at Southampton, Sep 22, 2010
Twenty20 debut     Somerset v Warwickshire at Taunton, Jun 13, 2003
Last Twenty20     Warwickshire v Derbyshire at Birmingham, Jun 25, 2010