Thaindian News

Cape Town, Jan 9(ANI): England coach Andy Flower has warned middle-order batsman Ian Bell, saying that he must show that he can produce innings of brilliance on a more regular basis to repay the investment made in him.

Bell had been struggling with his form in the recent months, but has made vital contributions in the tour of South Africa. “We’re looking for him to make consistent and medium to long-term contributions and not just nip in with a couple of scores. These have been fine contributions, but we’re looking for a lot more from him. England invested a lot with Ian Bell and this is some of him paying England back,” The Guardian quoted Flower, as saying.

Flower further appreciated Bell’s 140 runs in the first Test match against South Africa in Durban and his 48 and match-saving 78 in Cape Town this week, and emphasized that the 27-year-old has played a vital role in preserving their series advantage.

“It was a significant innings for Ian. Especially backing up the one in Durban, because they were both innings that contributed to changing the momentum of the game. And he’s been accused of not doing that often enough in his career. His contribution at The Oval in that last Test against Australia was huge. And then to see him back it up fairly soon after is excellent,” Flower said.

“He’s put in a lot of hard work, a lot of hard physical work. The two to three training sessions a day contribute to becoming a tougher competitor. Through hard physical work you can certainly toughen yourself up, physically but also mentally and emotionally. He’s seeing the results, personally, and we reap the benefits as a team,” he added. (ANI)