6/17/2012

England v West Indies: Bell leads hosts to resounding win


Ian Bell answered his doubters with a superb hundred as England crushed West Indies in a rain-affected first one-day international at the Rose Bowl.
Bell, recalled to open the batting after Kevin Pietersen's retirement, struck 126 in England's 288-6.
Dwayne Smith blazed 56 off 44 balls to kick-start the Windies' run chase.
But a flurry of wickets either side of a rain delay settled things as England bowled out the tourists for 172 to claim a 114-run Duckworth-Lewis win.
The decision to bring back Bell as an opener raised a few eyebrows given his modest record of only one century in 108 one-day innings and a strike rate in the mid-70s.

But after the early loss of captain Alastair Cook, he led from the front with a supremely confident innings that could mark the turning point of his one-day career.
Passed fit on the morning of the match after receiving 10 stitches to a chin wound suffered in the nets, Bell scored 12 fours and a six in a 117-ball knock founded on impeccable shot selection and timing.
And by the time he succumbed to a Dwayne Bravo slower ball in the 40th over, England were well on their way to a healthy total.
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