Ian Bell expresses desire to stay at top of England`s ODI batting order

London: England batsman Ian Bell, who currently bats seventh in one-day internationals, has expressed his desire to bat at the top.

The Warwickshire batsman, who smacked Morne Morkel for two huge sixes in the first NatWest Series match, wants to show that his promotion up the order can counter the loss of Kevin Pietersen. “My failure in the middle order was down to me not quite knowing how to approach the roles of number five or six, but being at the top of the order, just allows me to bat,” a daily quoted Bell, as saying. “I have to get through a couple of overs first, and then come down and hit over the top. I was under pressure at the Rose Bowl, after being dropped from the one-day side in the winter. If it hadn’t gone right then, that would probably have been my one-day career done to be honest,” he added. Bell, who suffered a gash on his chin while batting in the indoor nets in Southampton, said as a player, he always has to rebound back on the pitch as injuries will come and go. “That took my mind away from things a little bit. I was thinking there was no way I would play, but the surgeon said he would guarantee I was fit. I thought he was mad but he was as good as his word,” he said. “You can overthink things sometimes and as I spent that afternoon getting stitched up, it took my mind off the match and the next morning was all about me giving it a go, and really focusing on the ball,” he added. ANI