Bell to toll for England

by Setanta Staff , 02 February 2012

Ian Bell has been cleared to play in the third and final Test against Pakistan and will line up with his England team-mates on Friday.


The 29-year-old was forced to miss practice on Tuesday as he has been suffering from a stomach bug but he will be in the side to face Misbah-ul-Haq's outfit over the next five days.

Bell has been one of the biggest disappointments in the two Tests to date and has been completely bamboozled by the spin of Saeed Ajmal with very few runs in the series.

He came into the contests as one of England's top performers after establishing himself as a vital member of Andrew Strauss' side during their rise to the top of the five-day rankings.

There has been much talk about how to combat the spin threat in the UAE, but it seems inevitable that it will be a struggle for Bell and his team-mates when battle resumes in Dubai.

The Warwickshire man is aware of what needs to be done if the batsmen are to provide some back-up for the attack.

"We are looking forward to putting in a performance in the last Test," he said. "The bowlers have been fantastic and now it's up to the batting unit to give them some support."

Although the series has already gone, England are determined to win the final Test to get something out of the series and Bell insists the top six will try to counteract the threat of Pakistan's slow bowlers with some positive cricket.

"It's important we do not lose that confidence and still play in an aggressive, attacking manner in this form of the game," he added. "The hardest part is starting an innings. It generally gets easier, the longer you go on."

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