England`s Ian Bell hoping to return to the national team

Hong Kong: Ian Bell is hoping success in Twenty20 cricket will help convince England`s new hierarchy he`s ripe for a return to the national team -- and a tilt at a remarkable sixth Ashes series victory.

The middle-order batsman hasn`t played a Test for more than a year but after a stint in Australia`s Big Bash League, he`s turning his attentions to this week`s T20 Blitz in Hong Kong.

Bell, 34, averaged 33 in 10 Big Bash games for Perth Scorchers -- including a vital 61 on debut -- and he knows runs on the board are the only way to force his way back into the England reckoning.

"I`ll have to start the (County) season well," Bell told AFP on a cool afternoon in Hong Kong, where he is among several big names to play the T20 Blitz`s second edition.

"I`ve had conversations with England so the door, I know, isn`t shut, so maybe there`s a couple of places up for grabs.

"So if I can start the season well, which is one of the reasons I wanted to come here... by the time I get back in April, hopefully I`m a bit further down the line."

While Bell lines up for HKI United at Hong Kong`s modest Mission Road ground, his former England colleagues are wrapping up a three-match one-day series in the balmy West Indies.

Bell saw Joe Root and Ben Stokes, England`s new Test captain and vice-captain, at a recent function, and he said he was watching their impact on the team with interest.

"It`s going to be intriguing, especially with an Ashes series round the corner this time next year," said Bell.

"With (Root) and (Australia`s) Steve Smith you`ve got two of the best young players of the world, who are captains as well."The T20 Blitz is one of a number of new Twenty20 tournaments around the world which are giving fresh opportunities to players on the fringes of national selection.

Darren Sammy, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Misbah-ul-Haq are also among the foreign players at the five-day Hong Kong tournament, while Brian Lara and Shahid Afridi are acting as team mentors.

"It`s an opportunity to get out of the cold in England and come and play some good cricket on some grass surfaces, which is important," said Bell.

"I`ve been very lucky to have played for England for 12 years. This winter is the first winter I haven`t been with England so it`s opened a few of the doors to do things like this," he added.

After Hong Kong, the Warwickshire captain will start his pre-season in Dubai, before the County season opens in early April.

Bell needs to make a quick impression with the next Ashes series starting in November -- where he is aiming to outstrip England great Ian Botham with his sixth Ashes win against Australia.

"If I`ve still got aspirations to get back in the England team, which I have, to get out and get in middle and score some runs is always a good thing," added Bell.

"Through my career I`ve predominantly played a lot of red-ball cricket and Test match cricket, so it`s good for me to try to get better and work on these T20 skills because hopefully in the next two or three years I`ll play a lot of T20 cricket," he said.