Is Ian Bell the right replacement for Kevin Pietersen at the top of the order?

By Nishad Pai Vaidya

 

Kevin Pietersen’s unexpected retirement from limited-overs internationals has undoubtedly left a void in the England one-day setup. In an attempt to allay fears, Andy Flower has expressed hope in Ian Bell as Pietersen’s replacement at the top of the order. Irrespective of all the justifications, the pertinent question is: Can Bell fill in those big shoes?

 

Pietersen had an ordinary run in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for three years and it was only during the series against Pakistan early this year that he regained his lost touch. Regardless of his struggle, Pietersen remained a threatening force in the shorter versions as he had the ability to turn the game on its head single-handedly. His presence would blend in dynamism into an England line-up that contains players such as Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott. Bell is in a similar mould to Cook and Trott – albeit more classy one.

 

Bell has been fairly successful in ODIs and has shown the ability to anchor the innings and play a responsible hand. Throughout his career, he has batted at various positions, but has flourished primarily at number three. The opening role wouldn’t be new to him as he had performed it in the past without much success. The real worry is his strike-rate, which is 73.31 – a decent number, but on the lower side considering the modern trends.

 

Flower’s contention is that Bell is technically correct and would complement Cook well in the initial stages. They need a sound batsman to tackle the two new balls at both ends and Bell would be a safe bet. However, are England missing a trick by opening with both Cook and Bell? In the modern game, teams prefer to have a power player up front who can dent the opposition early get the team off to rollicking starts. England tried quite a few exuberant players and Pietersen was one of those players.

 

Cook and Bell have occasionally shown the ability to accelerate and take the attack to the opposition. But, more often than not they have been stable and have constructed an innings. Cook may have picked up pace in recent times, but it would be a gamble to open with two similar players. With two new balls up-front, teams need technically correct openers. In the bargain, one can end up missing out on good starts – something that can set the tone for the whole game.

 

During the tour to India in October 2011, Bell was benched for most games and only played the final ODI at Kolkata. It was a struggle for the whole team and Bell flattered to deceive in his only outing. A few months down the line, he ran into an inform Saeed Ajmal in the Tests in the UAE. As a result, he was kept out of the ODI series – one during which Pietersen exorcised the ghosts of spin and turned the tables for England.

 

Keeping this in perspective, it is surprising that he has been recalled and immediately thrust into the opening role. Would this move have materialised had Pietersen not made that shocking announcement? One may beg to differ. With Craig Kieswetter in the squad, there may be strong arguments to open the batting with him.

 

The roots of the problem lie in England’s recent history in ODIs. England have chopped and changed a number of openers since the end of the 2007 World Cup. They have used a total of 12 men at the said position, with Andrew Strauss leading the way. Some of those stats reflect that most of them haven’t had a long run at the top and have been dispensed with after a few failures. Here are the numbers:

 

Player	M	Runs	Avg	Strike-rate	100s	50s	Highest
Andrew Strauss	49	1966	40.95	87.68	4	13	158
Alastair Cook	43	1701	41.48	80.34	4	11	137
Craig Kieswetter	28	809	29.96	94.17	1	5	107
Matt Prior	25	527	23.95	80.70	0	2	67
Kevin Pietersen	8	412	58.85	87.84	2	1	130
Ravi Bopara	14	409	29.21	69.91	0	1	60
Ian Bell	15	403	31.00	73.27	0	1	73
Joe Denly	9	268	29.77	65.52	0	2	67
Steve Davies	7	239	34.14	105.28	0	1	87
Phil Mustard	10	233	23.30	92.46	0	1	83
Jonathan Trott	3	208	104.00	69.10	0	3	87
Luke Wright	6	107	17.83	86.29	0	1	52

 

It is evident from this table that Strauss and Cook are the only ones who have opened regularly. Cook took over after Strauss called it a day from ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. Kieswetter and Prior got a longish run, but weren’t consistent enough. When you want to choose an opener for ODIs, you look for consistency and a good strike-rate. In the list given above, Strauss, Cook and Pietersen managed to provide the right combination.

 

A very obvious observation is that England usually like their wicket-keepers doubling up as openers. Prior, Davies, Kieswetter and Mustard opened the batting while balancing their wicket-keeping duties. Davies showed promise, but wasn’t given a long run. The others weren’t able to match the expectations.

 

Flower has indicated that England are building for the next World Cup and that Bell can cement his position at the top. Bell has the goods to do well and he must take a cue from his partner Cook – who has transformed his game and started scoring faster. England needs to have a settled squad if they are to be strong contenders at the World Cup. The opening combination is an issue that has to be addressed immediately and they shouldn’t leave it too late.

 

For now, Bell has a chance to set the stage alight. As Flower said, “We want him to be Ian Bell and play great international cricket.” It would be unfair to expect him to do a Pietersen with the bat in hand. Maybe it is time a new Ian Bell would come to the fore.

 

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a club-level cricketer with an analytic mind and a sharp eye. It was this sharpness which spotted a wrong replay in IPL4 resulting in Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. Some of his analytical pieces have come in for high praise from cerebral former cricketers. Nishad can also be followed on Twitter)