Ian Bell: We don't need Kevin Pietersen in our side to win at Lord's

View From the Middle

Suggested Topics

When we left Leeds after drawing the second Test against South Africa, there was a sense that the momentum had shifted in our favour and we were in a positive frame of mind. A lot has happened since then but I can assure you we are approaching the decisive final Test with the same air of confidence.

Would I hope to play with Kevin Pietersen again in an England shirt? Yes, 100 per cent. There is no doubt about that. I'm a big Kevin Pietersen fan. You only have to see how he played the other day. He showed he is as dominant and ruthless a player as there is in world cricket.

Did I sense he was unhappy? I haven't spoken to him since we left Leeds and it's difficult to comment, not knowing the ins and outs.

For everyone in English cricket it would be great if we could win this Test, move on and see what the future holds, whether Kev will be back in the team or if he goes another route. That's out of our hands. We want to carry on winning Tests and trying to keep ourselves at the top in all forms.

I'm as confident about winning this Test without Kev as I would have been if he'd been here with us. The great thing about this team is that every player chips in towards victories. You only have to look at the last Ashes series to know that is true.

I'm aware that people are talking about team unity but as far as I'm concerned, our dressing room is still fantastic. I was unaware of the things that were going on. Not only is this dressing room very good, so is the culture of English cricket.

I have always found it easy to get on with people in this dressing room. We don't want a squad where everyone says "yes". A healthy dressing room is people who challenge each other and try to get better. That's what this environment is all about.

A lot of players overlap between the Lions and the senior team, which means very few people come in and don't know anyone. It's a very welcoming dressing room and still a great environment for us to try to win matches. We're a very strong team in all forms of the game and in recent times, I don't think English cricket has ever been in a better place.

We all desperately want to win every game we can play in. There have been issues but there is nothing I can do or say that will change what's gone on and it hasn't really affected me. As a player I can understand that the captain, the coach and the management have to look after the whole thing. For me it's about contributing to help England win.

I'm just looking forward to playing a part in Andrew Strauss's 100th Test match. He made his debut at Lord's and he will play his 100th Test here. There can't be any better place for him to do it. He is the best captain I've played under for England. As a role model, you can't get any better.

If you see him after he's batted, from the way he talks you wouldn't be able to tell whether he has got nought or a hundred, and that's where you want to get to as a cricketer. When you see Straussy, you would never know what was going on inside his head, and that's a great strength.

He's always been a mature person within the cricket environment, a great leader of men and the kind of guy you'd follow. There have been times in my career, such as 2009, when I had a couple of good chats with him, where he backed me fully and gave me confidence to play how I could, and since those days I've gone on to bigger and better things. He has really helped me to get the best out of myself. He has led this team from the front, sometimes in tough situations. This should be celebrated and everyone is really happy it's his 100th Test. It should mean the team is in a great mood going into the match.

Relates article from London's Evening Standard...

Andrew Strauss has more to think about than his 100th Test

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

iBet: A tight game between Northampton and Bradford

A tight game could be in prospect here. Northampton have been keeping things very tight of late and ...

by Gareth Purnell

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: Feeling ill and racing in the rain must be pretty grim

I can’t ever watch games of football or rugby without wistfully wondering what it must be like to be...

by Martin Ayres

PSG and the French league must be more proactive in dealing with hooliganism

Since PSG’s exit to Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final in April, PSG have been sur...

by Matthew Riding

       
Career Services

Day In a Page

The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...