Bell's another case of foolhardy courage
When Ian Bell limped out to bat as the last man standing between Bangladesh and a first ever win over England, he joined a long line of injured warriors who have put their country before their body
Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
When Ian Bell limped out to bat as the last man standing between Bangladesh and a first ever win over England, he joined a long line of injured warriors who have put their country before their body. Writing in the Guardian, Rob Bagchi runs through the list of those who have toughed it out and wonders whether such acts of courage are worth the risk in this age of endless cricket.
The appearance of an injured batsman is a rare enough sight in Test cricket but I struggle to remember even one example of it in one-day matches. So numerous and throwaway are the fixtures that you assume the results in the long term matter as little to the players as they do to the spectators and not worth the risk of participating while hurt.
Even in Tests, the potential hazards seem too great. Nasser Hussain sometimes gritted his teeth to complete a match when one of his frequently broken "poppadom" fingers suffered its latest injury but discretion usually resurfaced in time for him to sit out the subsequent games until they had properly healed.
Tariq Engineer is a former senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo