Bell on Kiwi alert

Ian Bell warned his England colleagues not to treat the Kiwis lightly © Getty Images

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Ian Bell insists England must have their sights firmly fixed on New Zealand in the coming weeks or they will be humbled on home soil.

Bell and the rest of the England side are preparing for the first npower Test at Lord’s, which begins on Thursday, knowing the three-match series is followed by an enticing encounter with South Africa.

There is also the small matter of Australia next summer but the Warwickshire batsman insists his England team-mates only have eyes for the Black Caps.

“There is no point us looking at South Africa and other things,” Bell told ecb.co.uk.

“We have to make sure we are fully focused on New Zealand because if we are not they are a good enough side to beat us.”

Bell was part of the side which triumphed in New Zealand in the spring as they came back from defeat in Hamilton to grab a 2-1 series win.

His form matched the team, finally finding his touch with the bat at Napier and his majestic 110 – his seventh Test century – ensured the hosts were set 552 to win, a task they had a decent stab at before falling inevitably short.

“Coming away from New Zealand I had a lot of respect for them,” said Bell. “They won the first Test match - we didn’t play well but they deserved it.

"It’s a sign that if we don’t play well they can damage us. We need to go out and play good cricket and show people in England we are moving in the right direction.”

Bell subscribes to the notion that the tourists are an underrated outfit.

Bell is aware of the threat posed by the likes of Brendon McCullum © Getty Images

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Lacking a star player following the recent retirement of Stephen Fleming, Shane Bond and Chris Cairns, the Black Caps are in a state of transition, particularly the batting, where only one member of the top six that faced the England Lions last week, Brendon McCullum, has played 10 Tests.

Do not be fooled, though, insists Bell, as Ross Taylor looks a player of immense ability while McCullum and Jacob Oram possess strokeplay brutal enough to destroy any attack.

“They have shown with Oram, [Daniel] Vettori and McCullum they have some world-class players there,” said Bell. “They have a lot of guys that are underrated. They are certainly a side that can play some good cricket on their day.”

While Bell has not made the quantity of runs he would have wanted in county cricket prior to the New Zealand series, his game looks in good order on the international scene and he was recently named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year.

However, he will not be resting on his laurels – with Robert Key, Ravi Bopara and Mark Ramprakash all scoring runs, he cannot afford to – and he would dearly love another century at Lord’s.

“It’s always an exciting time, the first Test match of the summer at Lord’s,” said Bell.

“It’s always a great time as a player. I’m looking forward to it. For me it’s the best ground in the world. Every time you turn up it makes you excited.

“When you are on the balcony and you look out onto the ground, it gives you a real buzz. There is no better feeling walking out at Lord’s for England.”