A Prior engagement

Poor old Ian Bell. He comes out to bat at No 6 under some pressure, knowing that he may lose his place for the next Test if Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff are both fit, plays confidently and comfortably for a hundred and is not out by the close, and yet everyone is talking about some new wicketkeeping sensation called Prior.

What a Test debut by Matt Prior, though. Not just for the runs he made (126 of them by the close) but for the fact that they came at a run a ball. It is all the more impressive given that he had scored only 158 runs in seven innings for Sussex coming into this side. Let's hope his keeping is up to scratch. West Indies may not have the best bowlers in the world, but you still have to make the runs against them. Kevin Pietersen didn't yesterday.

Incidentally, consider this: Pietersen, universally regarded (especially by himself) as the best batsman in England, has scored six hundreds and nine fifties in his 45 Test innings to date. Bell, universally regarded as a batsman perpetually on the verge of losing his place, has played two innings fewer than Pietersen and yet has also scored six hundreds with 11 fifties. But does Bell swan around with models and bring out deathly dull autobiographical egofests?

Comments

[Peter McGuinness]

It is a scene easily pictured.

An unshaven Chris Read staggering drunkedly toward his local pawn-broker, half empty bottle of Bombay Sapphire in one hand and his obsolete England Kit in the other. He is screaming the 'Why' over and over again to no-one in particular.

People hurry away to the opposite footpath, instinctively fearful of this pathetic, bitter wreckage of an individual. Perhaps, if they knew the pitiful story underpinning his current circumstances, they would offer him a consoling shoulder upon which to sob and vomit.

But they do not know the story because they do not recognise him. Nor will they ever...

They will - however - recognise England's shiny new 'keeper, Matt Prior for the rest of their lives. Prior, who will likely keep wicket for England during the resurgent years ahead. Prior, who replaced the comical Paul Nixon....who replaced poor, poor, poor Chris Read

Chris Read - the world's best gloveman. Chris Read - the 'Pete Best' of English cricket. Gone, but not forgotten.

May Matt 'Ringo' Prior enjoy a long and successful tenure. And may he always say a little prayer of thanks to the long-departed Duncan Fletcher, whose inexplicable selections in the doomed winter tour of 06/07, paved his way.

[Patrick Kidd]

Mathew,
You make a most valid point. But one question remains: if Pietersen is capable of averaging more than 50 against Australia, why can he not do it against weaker attacks? A hint of arrogance, perhaps? Certainly the ways in which he gets out to certain bowlers suggests that he is guilty of believing too much of his own hype.

[rusty]

An English fan on another site yesterday referred to Bell as being like Michael Clarke - I suppose he was referring to Bell's role, not his personality, since Clarke is the golden boy and heir apparent of the Aussie team. Whereas Bell is more like Simon Katich, when he was in the team, perpetually try to convince everyone he was the real thing.

[Humphey B Bear]

Gday Pat,

Can we now raise a scotch and honey and growl a rousing 'Auld Lang Sein' (at last) to our old mate Nico?

[Emma]

Careful, Patrick! Someone might accuse you of being an Ian Bell fan! How putting him at six in place of Shah can be justified, I do not know. I'd quite like to see someone try, though.

Bemusement aside, it was nice to see all four players under pressure do so well. Assuming that Shah will be, somewhat unfairly, swept back under the carpet with Vaughan's return, you do have to wonder how they're going to make the decision to leave someone out for Fred. Draw straws, maybe?

[Mathew Gullick]

Patrick, Patrick... whilst I sympathise with the tenor of your views on KP, comparing his record of centuries and fifties to Ian Bell's is like comparing chalk to cheese.

Bell has scored one hundred and one fifty against Bangladesh, who are hardly the toughest of Test opposition now and certainly were not in 2005 when he did so. Three of his other hundreds were against the weakened Pakistan bowling attack of the 2006 summer, led by Mohammed Sami and Umar Gul rather than Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif. Bell also averages just 25 against Australia in 10 matches, and has not scored a hundred against them.

Pietersen has of course not played against Bangladesh at all. He also averages 54 in 10 matches against Australia, over double Ian Bell's record in the same number of games, and that must be a more telling statistic.