Peter Moores has made no secret of his admiration for Ian Bell the batsman, but the respect of the head coach does not end there. Yesterday, while emphasising that Paul Collingwood will be fit for the one-day internationals against New Zealand, Moores offered Bell as a potential stand-in as captain should the need arise.
While Kevin Pietersen remains the most likely deputy for the next three weeks, Bell is viewed as an alternative vice-captain in all bar name. Collingwood has suffered back and shoulder problems this week and may need precautionary treatment at stages in the two warm-up games against Canterbury Wizards tomorrow and Sunday.
“We have two or three decent options to take charge within the side,” Moores said. “There is certainly Bell, who has captained the England Under-19s and has a very good cricket brain. It is very early yet for \ Cook. In any team you want internal leaders as well as a captain.”
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Bell has taken longer than expected to become a regular member of the Test and one-day sides since his first experience in an England squad as a 19-year-old in New Zealand in 2001-02. Moores, though, has been impressed by his temperament and the class of his strokes, offering the opportunity to secure the No 3 position.
Bell, a boyish-looking 25, is two years older than Cook and two younger than Pietersen, whose natural presence is more imposing. Yet there will still be those who consider that Pietersen’s South African upbringing makes him unsuitable, ignoring that England have been led by Tony Greig and Allan Lamb.
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Geoff Miller, the national selector, prefers a single captain of the Test and one-day sides. Barring a complete loss of Test form or serious injury, only a struggle in the shorter form will prevent Cook’s eventual coronation.
However, as Moores hinted, there is no need to rush his appointment. England are more likely to skip the Bell/Pietersen generation if Michael Vaughan’s knee holds up and Collingwood is still playing well enough when his friend steps down or is replaced as Test captain.
Both teams tomorrow will be able to use 13 players, then 12 on Sunday. Games will be 50-overs affairs, but those better suited to Twenty20, such as Luke Wright, may be given a chance before the slogfests on Tuesday and Thursday. Peter Fulton is the only present international who will feature for Canterbury, although Chris Harris, 38 and a veteran of 250 one-day matches for New Zealand, is due to play on Sunday.
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- Middlesex have signed Ashley Noffke, the Australian fast bowler, for the first two months of the season as cover for Murali Kartik, the India left-arm spinner, who has been denied permission by the Indian board to take up his place as the county’s overseas player until June.