However she got here again strongly on the again finish of the powerplay to dismiss Gull Feroza for 17, then struck once more in every of her subsequent two one-off overs to assist guard in opposition to the prospect of a major upset. Talking on the eve of Friday’s second T20I in Northampton, Bell acknowledged that England’s efficiency in that first match had had its flaws, however insisted it was their execution somewhat than intent that had been accountable.
“The truth that we have been 11 for 4 and nonetheless bought to 160 exhibits the depth in our workforce,” Bell stated. “Neither innings began the way in which we needed them to begin. But it surely simply exhibits the depth and character of the workforce that we may come again and clearly we nonetheless ended up successful by 50-odd runs.
“That was my first sport of the summer time, so I used to be clearly a bit nervous and possibly slightly bit rusty,” she added. “I performed a number of cricket this winter, and after I got here again from New Zealand, we felt my precedence was to have a bit of additional relaxation. However there’s a lot nonetheless to play, and I am actually lucky that I play all three codecs, so I can not play each doable sport.”
With the squad’s attentions already turning in direction of the T20 World Cup in October, Bell was adamant that the gamers wouldn’t permit one difficult day to cramp the aggressive method that their head coach, Jon Lewis, has spent the final two winters instilling in them.
“That method won’t ever change, and I do not assume the messaging will ever change,” she stated. “Taking the sport on will at all times be Jon’s message and I do not assume he’ll go away from that. That that is how we wish to play and we’re going to fail, in all probability, generally – however we’re not going to go away from the way in which we wish to play.”
“The Ashes was a little bit of a blur… clearly I had one sport which was a really steep studying expertise,” she stated. “However after I got here out the again of it, I realised that I had a bit extra accountability in all three codecs, and Heather [Knight] was handing me the ball in fairly necessary instances, so I assume I do take a number of confidence from it.
Bell performed a key function in England’s Ashes fightback final summer time•Getty Photographs
“Once you’re backed by your captain and your coach, it is one of the best feeling you possibly can have once you go onto a cricket pitch, understanding that you’ve the help and the backing of everybody. Jon is absolutely clear on what my function is, it can at all times be to prime and tail the innings. Earlier than he got here in, I used to be clearly out and in of the workforce loads, so I really feel prefer it’s actually pushing my sport ahead and giving me a number of confidence.”
Bell was pressured to make a tough choice this winter when she pulled out of her profitable WPL take care of UP Warriorz to make herself obtainable for your complete tour of New Zealand. However, she says, with so many choices opening up for the ladies’s sport, and with the England workforce within the midst of a generational change, she is aware of the place her priorities belong in the intervening time.
“We’ve got so many seamers coming by way of, I wish to maintain main this bowling assault,” she stated. “I really feel actually lucky that I’ve a lot cricket on supply to me, however it’s simply unrealistic to have the ability to play all of it. I clearly needed to go to the WPL. However my focus can be worldwide cricket in the meanwhile.”
With the Bangladesh World Cup looming, Bell acknowledged there may have been classes to glean from enjoying on the WPL’s pitches as a substitute of extra seam-friendly wickets in New Zealand, however insisted she had no regrets about foregoing the expertise.
“Clearly the ladies who performed in India, they bought an opportunity to play in opposition to one of the best gamers on the planet in subcontinental circumstances, however we had a collection in India earlier than Christmas, and I went to the WPL the yr earlier than, so it isn’t going to be utterly new to me,” she stated. “Despite the fact that we’re not there but, that does not imply that I can not begin prepping for a way it’ll be in Bangladesh, and what I really want to nail on earlier than I get there.”
And that, in essence, includes bowling straight and holding the stumps in play – each when the World Cup begins, and within the coming video games in opposition to Pakistan’s batting line-up.
“The primary message is simply to look to take wickets, and to be actually attacking,” Bell stated. “[Lewis] desires our first considered ‘how am I going to get this participant out?’ In Bangladesh, it’ll be actually necessary to maintain the stumps in play and possibly a number of pace-off would be the best choice. So it is about nailing our abilities and dealing on a little bit of consistency.
“Positively, our plan is to hit the stumps as a lot as doable,” she added. “We all know in opposition to this [Pakistan] workforce, and once we get to Bangladesh, if we will bowl as straight as doable with any form of lateral motion, I believe we’ll be actually within the sport. I did not execute that within the powerplay [on Saturday], however it was my first sport of the summer time, so shifting ahead, we all know what we have to do.”
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
