Bell happy to end on 199

Ian Bell takes the plaudits after his sumptous knock

Ian Bell is the first Englishman to discover what it is like to get out for 199 in a Test match - and he insisted at Lord’s that it is not such a bad experience.

Bell shared record stands with Kevin Pietersen (152) and then Stuart Broad (76) for the fourth and then seventh wickets against South Africa, in an England total of 593 for eight declared.

It was only when it came to that 200th run that he faltered, hitting a straight-drive back at spinner Paul Harris - who held the sharp return chance to disappoint Bell and a packed crowd waiting to hail his milestone.

Bell still had a career-best to celebrate, however - and that was a perfectly acceptable, if slightly mixed feeling as he reflected on a rain-shortened second day of the first Test which finished with the tourists on seven without loss in reply.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “Coming into this game if I’d known I was going to get 199 I’d have snapped your hand off.

“Obviously it would have been nice to get my name on the board for a double-hundred at Lord’s. That would have been pretty special, but I’ll definitely take 199.”

Bell admits he paid perhaps for a moment of indecision when he saw Harris had given him a chance to record a maiden Test 200.

“It was a matter of trusting myself, and if it was in the slot I was going to put it away,” he recalled.

“But I probably got stuck a little bit in two minds whether to hit it hard on the floor or go straight over his head. Unfortunately, it’s gone straight to him.”

The England number five is nonetheless heartened by his significant performance - and at 26, he hopes it could be the start of his pomp as an international cricketer.

“Going on to get a big hundred is something I know that possibly so far in my career I haven’t done enough of,” he concedes.

“I hope this can turn a corner for me, so that when I do get in - like the best players in the world - I go on and get big hundreds.

“People sit up and take notice when you get big ones, not 60s and 70s. To play with that fluency all the way through is something I won’t forget - the best innings I’ve played for England, so far.

“I don’t want to just do it once. I hope this is a kickstart for me. I wanted to go out there and make a big impact in this series.”

Ian Bell sees his outstanding innings brought to an end after offering a sharp return catch to Paul Harris

Bell and Pietersen tamed South Africa’s pace battery, among whom only Morne Morkel (4-121) had even a modicum of worthwhile success - albeit on a flat pitch.

There were still times when it was a little more difficult than England’s middle-order pair made it look, though.

“They made us jump around out there, and I’ve got a few bruises to prove it,” said Bell.

While Bell could be justifiably satisfied to a large extent, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur could not.

He is hoping to “write off” his team’s initial performance in the field, confident they can do much better.

Arthur does not regret either his pre-match assessment that Bell might be one of England’s weak links, after his poor form against New Zealand.

“I put the kiss of death on him, didn’t I?” he remarked.

“But that is what we did think. Ian Bell showed his class. Hats off to him - he came into the game under pressure and he delivered.

“We are terribly disappointed with ourselves. It was a wake-up call for our quicks.

“I’m going to write off this innings. If a trend develops through the series, it will become a worry - but I’m pretty sure we’ll put it right.”