Bell optimistic England can lay down marker for World Cup

England's captain Alastair Cook, Joe Root, second left, and Ian Bell, left, rest during a practice session in Colombo yesterday.

Bell’s 148 caps put him fifth in England’s all-time list and, in the absence of the injured James Anderson, at least 40 clear of his closest pursuer, Ravi Bopara, in the squad selected for the seven-match series, which will get under way tomorrow.

Captain Alastair Cook, three years Bell’s junior, is 62 caps adrift.

In addition, Bell needs only 139 runs to become just the second Englishman to reach 5,000 in ODIs after Paul Collingwood, England’s most capped player in 50-over cricket.

It all adds up to a world-class career but not a world-beating one, because in keeping with most of his contemporaries Bell has no global trophy on his CV.

The unpromising reality, in fact, is that not only have England managed just the isolated 2010 ICC World Twenty20 success in almost 40 years of vain effort in major limited-overs tournaments, but have apparently regressed in the past year – with one ODI series victory, also in the Caribbean last Spring, interrupting a succession of defeats.

Bell nonetheless remains optimistic of a much-needed win here against opponents marginally above them in the International Cricket Council rankings, to kick-start progress to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.

“That’s the facts, isn’t it? That’s where we are,” said Bell, scheduled to bat at No 3 against Sri Lanka behind Cook and his new opening partner, Moeen Ali.

“We haven’t played particularly well in our last one-day series. But this is a great place to start improving. To win this series would be a massive bonus for us, building towards that World Cup.”

England’s current mantra is for individual and collective improvement and a ‘fearlessness’ so far exemplified by Moeen’s rush of boundaries in the Duckworth-Lewis victory over Sri Lanka A – their only match practice after the second scheduled fixture was washed out.

Senior batsman Bell is happy to buy into it. “That’s the way we want to play... the way we’ve got to play, give everything this winter into one-day cricket, and see where we get. I know my strike rate has been over 80 in the last two years... and I want to keep improving.”