Bell happy with `senior` England player role after two Ashes tons

London: England batsman Ian Bell has said that he is enjoying having emerged as his side`s senior batsman in the current Ashes series after scoring two centuries and gathering 317 runs in the first two Tests of this series.

Bell, who has bagged hundreds in both Ashes Tests and is fast turning into England`s emergency service, has so far gone in with England at 102-3 and 121-3 at Trent Bridge, then 28-3 and 129-4 at Lord`s, and in total he has put on 722 runs in ten partnerships. Admitting that he struggled in his first two series against old enemy Australia, Bell however, said that it means much to him to put his hand up as a senior player whenever the team needs a player, adding that he knew that he had to improve on his first couple of series against Australia, even if the team he started against in 2005 was talented. A report said that Bell`s first Ashes experience in 2005 saw him average 17.10 in five matches, although he has been steadily climbing through the ranks of England`s batting greats ever since and has long left behind the days when he froze at a single stare from Australian spin legend Shane Warne. Meanwhile, the batsman, whose total centuries will come up to 20 if he scores another ton at the third Test, said that it is important to bat long enough so the bowlers can rest up. ANI