A fresh face, but an old head too

On Friday evening Bob Woolmer, Warwickshire's coach, was talking to Michael Powell, the captain. He said that he had picked his man of the match already.

It would be Ian Bell, he announced. Less than 24 hours later his wish had become reality. Bell, who came in when the first wicket fell at 19, was still there when the winning run was scored.

His 65 not out had come off 89 balls in five minutes over two hours. But the bare statistics do not tell even half the story. "He showed terrific maturity to go through the innings," said Woolmer. That, though, had been Bell's intention from the start. "It was a great experience," he said, "the biggest occasion of my career. I'd like to be able to do it again." It will be a great surprise and a bitter disappointment if he does not.

When the England team were chosen for the First Test against Sri Lanka pundits were astonished that Bell was omitted. Apparently he had scored too few runs on green wickets at Edgbaston. But yesterday's innings must have quelled the selectors' doubts. The pundits assume that it will prove the key to his selection for the Ashes tour in November. "I think he should go; he has the potential to go all the way," said Woolmer. There are more besides his coach who think so too. Bell himself just smiled hopefully at the idea.

The inspiration that made him a cricketer hit him at Lord's nine years ago when he was 11 and he came down from Rugby to see Warwickshire score 322 to beat Sussex. Nine years later he was the inspiration himself, even though he looks as if he has aged no more than five years or so in the meantime. He is 20 but in a pub he might well be asked if he is old enough to drink.

His cheeks are boyishly pink, his eyes large and wide above high cheek bones. He hides under the long peak of a baseball cap and speaks quietly and directly, though you suspect he would much rather face fast bowling than a press conference.

This was only his second innings at Lord's. He got off to a good start last summer with 98 against Middlesex. Maybe it will fit him a like a glove, he certainly looked comfortable yesterday. He was soon joined by Jim Troughton, who is only three years older. They are pals who room together and trust each other.

Ronnie Irani, Essex's captain, thought that Troughton's powerful unorthodoxy released some inhibition in Bell. Bell disagreed; he was happy appearing to play second fiddle, though here the stats do tell a tale. In fact, Bell scored 40 of the 84 they put on together in 72 balls. It did not look that way. Perhaps Troughton's extravagant sweep of the bat contrasted so vividly with Bell's correctness and elegant driving ­ apart from a lucky escape off an inside edge. "To see these two come into the side is just a joy," said Woolmer.

When Troughton was out for 33 Bell slowed down. He scored seven boundaries in his fifty and no more from the next 23 balls he faced in 44 minutes. There were 24 singles in his final 65 not out. "It's the sign of a good player when he looks as if he isn't going to get out," said Woolmer. There was no getting him out yesterday.