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[Buzz]

Root should man up and bat at 3. It is the best place to bat anyway. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to bat there - especially if you are in your prime as a batsman and in form.

[ppccopener]

good video link Buzz, from side on you can see where the head is with too big a stride.Having average 7, yes 7, in the first half of this season and lost my spot at the top of the order I've gone back to a small stride and bended knees(I was standing bolt upright) it's def helped and starting to get some form back-slowly). Long road back to open again but now on my way-thanks to the forum for the tips too-all very helpful

100 per cent agree about Root, if you consider yourself a proper batsman get up the order and take what comes, some days it works some days it don't.

Bell was trying to hit a ball on off stump(-going away) thru mid on or mid wicket.

Buzz when you say Bell's confidence problems are rubbish what exactly do you mean? your're saying he has all the gifts and not the mental application to be a really top top player and battle thru

is that what you mean?

[Buzz]

I mean as a 33 year old who has played 100 test matches batting becomes less about confidence - my experience is that confidence is less of a deal for me now I am in my mid 30's than it was in my mid 20's as I have 25+ years of playing under my belt.
Bell has experienced success and failure in all sorts of conditions all around the world. At some point in a batters career your experience should counter your need for confidence. You can absolutely now see this with Cook.

I don't understand why a player with the talent of Bell hasn't got there yet. 

[TangoWhiskey]

I mean as a 33 year old who has played 100 test matches batting becomes less about confidence - my experience is that confidence is less of a deal for me now I am in my mid 30's than it was in my mid 20's as I have 25+ years of playing under my belt.
Bell has experienced success and failure in all sorts of conditions all around the world. At some point in a batters career your experience should counter your need for confidence. You can absolutely now see this with Cook.

I don't understand why a player with the talent of Bell hasn't got their yet.

Because he is mentally weak. If he had half the heart of Cook or Collingwood with his technique he'd be going down as a great of the game. He has never scored 'tough runs' consistently, I've said it before and I'll say it again, when then the curtain comes down on his career he'll be forgotten before long.

[ppccopener]

Because he is mentally weak. If he had half the heart of Cook or Collingwood with his technique he'd be going down as a great of the game. He has never scored 'tough runs' consistently, I've said it before and I'll say it again, when then the curtain comes down on his career he'll be forgotten before long.

you may well be proved right, averaging 43 odd today is not really enough,and a lot us fans (well I was) were happy to see Cook battle thru to get his game back in order.Colly is a legend-there can't a been a player in recent memory who guts it out more often when we needed it, and made the most of the ability he had.

Maybe for some batsmen the game comes too easily,and they just don't know what it's like to battle for runs.
Thorpe was one I loved watching,it was almost like he was in a fight sometimes the way he took on the bowlers and would not back down.
Bell may end up compared to Ramprakash down the line.

[tim2000s]

Bell may end up compared to Ramprakash down the line.

A statement I was about to make!

[felix]

Bell may end up compared to Ramprakash down the line.

On the surface it looks like an odd comparison when one has averaged 43 over 112 tests and the other 27 over 52.  But Bell's been very sympathetically treated by the selectors and played in a batsman-friendly era.  Perhaps if Ramps had started his career 10 years later (and been 10 years younger) he'd have done much better than Bell.

[ppccopener]

A statement I was about to make!

Yeah great minds and all that Tim 

Have to say all the years ive been watching England how Ramprakash did not become one of our best ever Test batsmen I still can't really believe.He's the most gifted(English) player I've seen.

It does however, prove the old saying that batting more than anything is done in the head.
Whether Ramps or Hick would of fulfilled their potential under the 'new' style management where players get a decent run we will never know the answer to

[Number4]

Root should man up and bat at 3. It is the best place to bat anyway. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to bat there - especially if you are in your prime as a batsman and in form.

Root should man up or the selectors and captain should man up and bat him there?

[ppccopener]

On the surface it looks like an odd comparison when one has averaged 43 over 112 tests and the other 27 over 52.  But Bell's been very sympathetically treated by the selectors and played in a batsman-friendly era.  Perhaps if Ramps had started his career 10 years later (and been 10 years younger) he'd have done much better than Bell.

just posted that at the same time as you Felix. I've wondered the exact same thing many times.Ramps faced the best bowlers and got shunted up and down the order,dropped and recalled many times.
No one can say what would of happened, my gut feeling personally is averaging 27 then is about 35 ish now....and he probably would of been more successful now if backed to the hilt like some other players.

[uknsaunders]

Ramps/Hick played on decent tracks and not much different from now. Apart from the odd stupid attempt to doctor wickets - Edgbaston v Windies for example - most were still good for batting. Big difference was the strength of the bowling the Windies/Pakistan/Australia/SA had in this era. That said they didn't set the world alight against India/NZ/SL either and I suspect they would of infuriated us as much now as then!

[felix]

Ramps/Hick played on decent tracks and not much different from now. Apart from the odd stupid attempt to doctor wickets - Edgbaston v Windies for example - most were still good for batting. Big difference was the strength of the bowling the Windies/Pakistan/Australia/SA had in this era. That said they didn't set the world alight against India/NZ/SL either and I suspect they would of infuriated us as much now as then!

Agree but I think the bigger difference is probably in the consistency of selection now (sometimes to a fault).  I used to be a huge Hick fan, but he was evidently a bit of a sensitive soul and some of his treatment in the Illingworth era was pretty harsh and probably left its scars.  I think Bell would have sunk without trace in that era.

[Buzz]

Hick went through a period in the middle of his career when he averaged 40 and did pretty well - when Athers was captain (don't mention that declaration though.)

[MJB3]

Whilst I agree that Bells time has, or is about to, come, but I can't understand this repeated argument that he hasn't scored runs when needed. This argument is illogical, nonsensical and used to make an argument. This is the man who won the Ashes the last time the series was on English soil.

[TangoWhiskey]

Whilst I agree that Bells time has, or is about to, come, but I can't understand this repeated argument that he hasn't scored runs when needed. This argument is illogical, nonsensical and used to make an argument. This is the man who won the Ashes the last time the series was on English soil.

Firstly, the Aussies were in turmoil for that series.

Secondly, he scored a lot of runs and had a good series yes, but have a look at some of the scorecards. Mostly he came in when there were already runs on the board. To say he won the series is over exaggerating.

Thirdly, how many series has that happened in his 10 years as an England player?