Ashes 2013: Ian Bell thrilled by England’s all-round strength
Ashes 2013: Ian Bell praises England for their strength with bat and ball after a 347-run victory in the second Test at Lord's on Sunday
Ian Bell has praised England for their strength with both bat and ball after storming into a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series.
Bell struck his third century in as many Ashes Tests to help the hosts secure a crushing 347-run victory over Australia in the second Test at Lord’s on Sunday.
Joe Root also impressed as he hit 178 runs, while taking two wickets, with Graeme Swann tracking up a total of nine dismissals over the course of the five days.
“That’s the importance of our side – no one really stands out,” Bell told the ECB’s website.
“It’s about the bowling unit doing their jobs and the batting unit getting enough runs on the board so our bowlers can get 20 wickets.”
Bell expressed his delight to be able to help England secure victories in the opening two Tests with match-winning centuries.
“The situations have demanded someone to go and do it and it’s nice that I’ve been able to stick my hand up and do it twice,” he added.
“The first two games have gone really well (but) they’ve been hard work.
“Certainly the first game was really close and could have gone either way and there were situations in the last game again where we had to work really hard for it and came through.
“They were two good games for us and hopefully the third one’s the same.”
