'Spin is going to be crucial'
Ian Bell speaks to Brian Viner about England's preparation for the World Cup, the 1-6 thrashing at the hands of Australia, his own development as a batsman and the role he will be expected to play in his team's middle order
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Ian Bell speaks to Brian Viner about England's preparation for the World Cup, the 1-6 thrashing at the hands of Australia, his own development as a batsman and the role he will be expected to play in his team's middle order. Read the interview in the Independent.
Bell is expected to bat at five in the World Cup, having played most of his one-day games, both for Warwickshire and England, in the top three of the order. He does not mind admitting that he prefers to bat higher up. "But you can't always do what you want, you have to do what the team is asking of you," he says, almost as if he is reading from a teamsmanship manual. "And my game is flexible enough to bat in any position. Plus, I'll be playing a fair amount of spin in the middle order, and I see that as a strong area of my game now. Spin is going to be crucial in this World Cup."
Mike Selvey, in the Guardian, says England's World Cup chances could hinge on the their gamble to open with Kevin Pietersen.
Duncan Fletcher, the former England coach, in the same newspaper, picks Sri Lanka and India as his favourites due to their superiority in the spin department.
Vic Marks, also in the Guardian, criticises the format for the tournament which lends itself to too many meaningless matches.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo