Reminder of what game will miss by legend Bell

IAN Bell’s half-century a day after announcing his imminent retirement from cricket helped Warwickshire remain competitive in their Bob Willis Trophy clash with Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Any stranger watching Bell play his penultimate innings at Sophia Gardens after a long and distinguished career at county and international level, would have wondered why he has decided to walk away.

The 38-year-old says the desire is there to carry on but he feels “my body can’t keep up to the demands of the game and I know the time is right.”

He will be much missed, this after he had played another accomplished innings that helped his team recover from 23 for three to reach 186 all out.

Apart from the youthful Dan Mousley, who helped Bell add 70 for the fourth wicket, the Bears’ legend was a class above the other batsmen.

Glamorgan know all about him after Bell struck 425 runs against them in three innings two years ago. He scored 106 and 115 in the same game at Edgbaston, then later in the season came the small matter of 204 at Colwyn Bay.

Yesterday’s half-century, off 116 balls, included nine fours and some of his trademark cover drives, but it was a battling rather than dashing innings that held Warwickshire together.

The Glamorgan seamers thrived on a green pitch with plenty of movement and the Warwickshire top order were in trouble from the fourth ball of the innings when Tim Van der Gugten dismissed skipper Will Rhodes.

The Bears resumed after lunch on 89 for three but Lucas Carey, playing his first game of the truncated season, removed Mousley for 31, while Michael Burgess, having struck Carey for two successive boundaries, went for the third in succession but edged a catch to second slip.

Thirteen overs were lost to rain during the afternoon session, but with a favourable weather forecast they will be made up over the next two days.

Glamorgan’s batsmen had an awkward eight overs to face at the end of the day, with survival their main objective. Openers Nick Selman and Joe Cooke, playing his second championship game, stayed until the fifth over, before the former pushed at a ball from Liam Norwell and edged to third slip where Bell – who else? – held on to a low catch.