Bell was a walking wicket in the 2005 Ashes series and the Australians expected to have his number again this time. Perform against the Aussies, and they respect you for ever. Fail, and it takes years to stop them looking down their noses at you.
Today’s failure nothwithstanding, Bell will have earned the Australians’ respect here. That not only stands him in good stead but is a boost for the team. Sadly, it was the single chink of light to emerge in the subterranean gloom for England. He was the form batsman, with three successive hundreds against Pakistan this year and a warm-up century in Adelaide, but there were questions about his temperament against top-notch opposition.
Was he to be the new Mark Ramprakash, a stylish technician who was too intense and put too much pressure on himself? Or was he an English Rahul Dravid, an ice-cool accumulator with all the shots in the book? It is too early to tell, but this is a big step towards imitating the India captain rather than the Surrey run machine turned ballroom dancer.
Bell looked at ease straight away. The pace and bounce did not trouble him, his shot selection was flawless and he eased the ball through the covers when given a chance. When Brett Lee glared at him, Bell stared back, unblinking. When Glenn McGrath jagged one off a huge crack in the pitch and smiled, Bell smiled back. One could even detect a hint of respect from the bowler. Progress indeed.
Warne’s arrival into the attack on Friday was the big test. He got Bell three times last year, including the leave-alone lbw at Lord’s when Bell played for turn that never came. We all swooned about Warne’s guile. It turned out it just did not turn. “That was a while ago and my game’s moved forward since then,” Bell said afterwards.
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He was itching to leave his crease against Warne, not to escape to the pavilion but to smother the spin at the point of impact with the cracked pitch. It was skilful, calculated spin-play the way the Indians do it.
“We’ve played in the subcontinent in the last 12 months and playing quality spinners has helped my game,” Bell explained.
His test now will be to rebound from this morning’s setback.
John Stern is editor of the Wisden Cricketer