Ian Bell for captain

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

Just imagine how frail our batting would be if you stuck Adams, Crawley, Ramps and Adams into it!

That will give me nightmares!!

[Andy Mellon]

Adams twice? I wouldn't even have him playing once!!

And sorry, Ern. I was having a little joke with you - it obviously didn't come across in the written word.

Though Mal Loye was NOT a success. He achieved success in the same way that Martin McCague did when he was employed as a pinch-hitter by Kent. Still, he couldn't have done much worse than Vaughan or Joyce did at the World Cup; that much is true.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Andy Mellon

Adams twice? I wouldn't even have him playing once!!

Oops, I must have been a having nightmares when i typed that out!

[flanflinger]

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/co...ry/266783.html

56 strong panel decided that Bell was the best young player in the world, but of course Ern would have voted otherwise!!

[acker]

Just saw his 50 courtesy of pay TV. Ian did it like he was just expected to do it. Collingwood even attepted some attacking strokes to save the embarresment of being overtaken by him.

Ian Bell as captain will set English cricket up for 12 years.

I just can't understand you people. Are you masochists ?

[Collyisamackem]

No Acker, I see great, great things ahead for Bell. When he gets going he is the classiest player I have seen bat for us, even more so than Vaughan in Australia in 2002/03. I don't know what it is about Australia that seems to get him nervous, but once he overcomes that I can see him averaging over 50, as he really does have the world at his feet. Like Cook, I am so immensely glad that he is English!!!

[acker]

From an outsider looking into English cricket, I cannot beieve that you rate "Cook" a player who done "1" good innings in the ashes series in Australia ( plus that was after the sting was out of it ) with Ian Bell who fought from day one until the final day.
If Cook was going so well why was'nt he helping out with the one day campaign. Or the World Cup ?
I personally hate it when people get carried away with batters who grow an extra leg when they are outside of a team. Ian Bell was in the team during the ashes, during the VB series and during the World Cup. And he made an easy 50 today. Well at least he made it look easy.
Please dont criticise him just because he is earning place in the team.

[flanflinger]

Acker,

Don't think anyone is criticising Bell* or comparing him with Cook, if anything most English fans are celebrating that we have two very big prospects in the team, and scoring runs..


*Apart from Ern - but he is officially barking

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker

Ian Bell as captain will set English cricket up for 12 years.

OK acker is he as good as Ponting?, or Chappel?, or maybe Border?.

Can he bat as good as Ponting, Border or either Chappel?, or even Kim Hughes who was the weakest Aussie captain I can remember.

[Harmy's Army]

Originally Posted by acker

From an outsider looking into English cricket, I cannot beieve that you rate "Cook" a player who done "1" good innings in the ashes series in Australia ( plus that was after the sting was out of it ) with Ian Bell who fought from day one until the final day.

We rate Alistair Cook because he is only 22 years of age, already has 5 test centuries to his name (although the most recent one isn't anything to write home about given the opposition), shows a level of application and maturity at the crease which puts the rest of the England batsmen (including Ian Bell) to shame, and is destined to be one of England's all time greats. He was only 21 when thrown into the cauldron down under - an age at which Australians aren't even considered mature enough to be test cricketers these days

Putting the two (Bell and Cook) into context, Bell scored 171 runs against the Aussies on home turf at 17.10 (highest score 65) whereas Cook scored 276 at 27.6 against them on Aussie soil. I didn't here anyone clamouring for Ian Bell to be the next England captain after the 2005 Ashes series.