The Ashes 2013 - Ian Bell: Unsung hero till the very end

Ian Bell walks back after scoring a sumptuous 159 in the second Test of the Ashes.

If you look at that last statistic, you will notice a fantastic conversion rate of below two fifties/century – 1.89 to be exact; a staggering rate for most batsmen, let alone a player who is said to live eternally in the shadows of the Pietersens and Cooks.

Everyone loves the underdog. Admit it, we all do. When Zimbabwe beat Australia, I was one of a trillion to jump off my seat and applaud the effort. After all I finally got to say: take it Australia!

Ian Bell is that proverbial underdog, the unsung hero, the ‘B’ team to Pietersen’s ‘A’, the back stage staff (I could go on, but you get the point). He seems to have finally answered his critics, with performances even Pietersen himself applauded. His performances saved England a few blushes on home soil against perennial rivals. That counts for a lot, right?

Though his performances in the first Test could be credited with winning England the Test match, his performance in the second Test truly highlights his change in temperament. He has reinvented himself. Call him Bell 2.0 if you must. This is a man on a mission, an invigorated player, one who has risen from the ashes(forgive the pun). He walks in at 28-3 when Cook, Root and Pietersen(yes, him again!) are back in the hut for a paltry 28.

Along with Trott, he added a well-timed and patient 99 runs to steady the ship. Once Trott fell, anyone who has watched Bell over the years would’ve had their hearts in their mouths, imagining Bell chasing a loose ball outside off and edging it to the keeper or first slip. But, he defied all those who doubted him with a stunning 109, rather enjoying his new role as England’s pacifier, a block to Australia’s unrelenting aggression, and entering the record books as just the fourth English batsman to hit three consecutive Ashes centuries (including the one he hit down under at Sydney in 2010-2011 Ashes series). He answered his critics in the best possible way, with a bat in hand.

An intricate play of words is described as an astute understanding of literature, and the presence of a well established literary prowess. Ian Bell’s intricate show of class and delicate structuring of an innings is a show of true brilliance, a brilliance we associate with the likes of Rahul Dravid and Marvin Atapattu.

Something about his meticulous style of play contradicts the current ‘macho’ code. He was delicate, diminutive and focused. At Trent Bridge, he walked in with England at 121 for three and left some poor recent form behind to save his country with an 18th Test century that brought him level with David Gower and Michael Vaughan.

This 19th ton lifts him to the same high tier as Len Hutton and places him one behind Ken Barrington and Graham Gooch, all players who have enjoyed great form with England. No longer can he be accused of being a luxury in England’s middle order. ”Give him his due credit” – say the same hypocrites who believed he was England’s answer to Rohit Sharma.

He is now playing Australia excellently, unlike his time against McGrath and Warne, albeit with the proviso that this is a much less menacing Australia attack. Even so, Bell is playing his own graceful game while extricating England from trouble. This is the combination that his critics said was eluding him.

His century at Lords will always be remembered. It is, after all, the happiest feeling for a batsman to score one at the home of cricket.

England’s batsmen, with their higher averages than Australia, have not excelled yet as a single force. Their saviour is the so-called ‘mouse’ who roared. You could only applaud this spirited reinvention.

Even after all the attention he is getting for his performances, the man simply says he is lucky to be a part of history, a part of this England outfit. His humility makes him that much more invaluable.

I say England are lucky to have this man, after all, an unsung hero performing so well is so much more pleasing, isn’t it?