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Bell axing a sign of Bayliss making his mark

24th November, 2015
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Ian Bell has been cut loose by Trevor Bayliss. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant).
Expert
24th November, 2015
21
1713 Reads

I don’t know a great deal about Trevor Bayliss, even after six months in charge of the England side.

I like what I’ve heard in his few press utterances – neither too elated when things have gone well or too downcast when they haven’t – and results and performances across the board would indicate he is having a positive effect on his charges.

One thing I do know is that he must possess a fairly ruthless line of thinking given the squad that will, in the next couple of weeks or so, set off for South Africa to tackle the world leaders over four Tests.

By dropping Ian Bell, effectively ending the Warwickshire man’s international career in the process, Bayliss, who surely had the final say, has stamped his own identity over those he is charged with managing.

That is a good thing as he is well rewarded to further the cause of English cricket and he should be allowed to do as he sees fit. But the axing of his number three represents something of a leap of faith.

The statistics don’t lie in this instance and Bell has been on a descending curve over the past couple of years. There was a fine century in the first Test against West Indies last April and a pair of cameos in the Edgbaston Ashes Test that hinted at the Bell of old, but the signs have been all too evident of a batsman no longer at his peak.

That said, others have begun their downward trend yet still been worth a place in the line-up, the likes of Michael Clarke and Sachin Tendulkar immediately spring to mind. While I’m not necessarily putting Bell in the same class as this pair, it depends to a great extent on the circumstances the individual finds himself in.

Australia could comfortably accommodate Clarke, the fact he was in charge obviously helped, and the same goes for India with Tendulkar. Yet England, and for this read Bayliss, feel that Bell no longer justifies his place.

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Selectors are there to select and a cricketer being dropped from a team, whoever it is, does not quite come under the category of ‘disgrace’ some alluded to last week. That term should be reserved for politicians putting their fingers in the till or police cover-ups, not a different batsman being chosen.

But what it can be likened to is a calculated gamble. Experience can’t keep out a rampant Dale Steyn or find the gap at cover but it does count for something in a side that doesn’t generally do its best work away from home.

Of the top six who are likely to stroll out at Durban on Boxing Day, and Alastair Cook is so far in front as to be excused, Joe Root is by far the most experienced with a relatively paltry 35 appearances.

In fact, if as is being widely predicted, Alex Hales opens with Cook and Nick Compton gets a recall in Bell’s vacated position, Root will have won almost as many caps as numbers two, three, five and six put together. That is an awfully callow line-up to be sending out and it puts even more pressure on Cook and Root to perform.

It could well prosper and nothing is gained if nothing is ventured, but it is a leap of faith for what is shaping as a pretty tough assignment.

If it is the end for Bell, and a few county attacks are likely to suffer if he hits the ground running come April, then he can be proud of what he has achieved. A tally of 118 Tests isn’t to be sniffed at and while he has had his detractors, he has been a fine player at the top level.

It can be too simple to lay the charge of carelessness when the act of batting is made to look like a gentle stroll in the park, but this often misses the point.

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I read a piece on Mark Waugh not too long ago that quoted him as saying – I think this is accurate – “with how much is at stake, why wouldn’t I give my best”. Bell can be tarred with the same brush.

Looking graceful doesn’t mean there is less care being given and a loose drive to the waiting cordon is no worse than a tentative poke by a player hell bent on defence. Bell has played the odd daft shot but find me someone who has never done the same and I won’t believe you.

Anyone who watched his efforts in the 2013 Ashes series when batting wasn’t the easiest will be able to appreciate what he was capable of and England, as they may find out soon enough, will have a hard task finding an adequate replacement.

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