Former England batsman Ian Bell has lambasted his teammate Andrew Strauss, who is now England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Director of Cricket, for intimidating players after Australia thrashed the visitors by ten wickets in Ashes series opener in Brisbane.
“I can’t believe that the England players have been grounded over the Bairstow incident,” Bell told Paddy Power.
Moreover, after the Bristol street fracas left Ben Stokes to miss the all-important Test series, under that influence Strauss might have taken the decision (to not allow players to move out for midnight parties), but Bell feels the players are well aware of the atmosphere and are further matured to understand the various subjects.
“We’re talking about a team of grown men, some are in their mid-thirties, some have kids, some have played more than a hundred tests,” Bell maintained.
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As the latest incident seemed to have become the huge concern for ECB administration back home, Bell somewhat stated Strauss is wrong for demoralizing the players led by Joe Root, who is having first Ashes series as a team leader like his counterpart Steven Smith.
Interestingly, following the trash-talk, Strauss further barred England players from moving out in the midnight which didn’t sit well with his old-teammate Bell. Taking consideration of the behaviour of the team members, Strauss put the restrictions on players in a bid to ask the visitors and national side players to focus totally on the game.
Bell made an important point by saying the squad should be given a space and there should be some confidence-building measures taking place to boost the morale of the players.
“The players should be trusted. They have set their own curfews,” Bell asserted.
The restrictions were imposed on the movement of English players after gloveman Jonny Bairstow’s headbutt to Australian opener Cameron Bancroft grabbed the headlines.
“I hope it isn’t true. From speaking to players in the team, they made up their own rules at the start of the tour – that should’ve been enough,” Bell added.
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In October, last month, Bairstow reportedly headbutted Bancroft in a bar after the Three Lions squad for the Ashes 2017-18 landed in Perth.
Also, Bell posed a serious question by saying can’t English families see the players after they were told to follow the process strictly.
“What if your family’s out there – can you now not go and see them?,” Bell further added.
Bell termed it ‘strange’ while revealing it doesn’t make any sense to him after refuting the Bairstow episode and at the same time asked players to stay confined in their hotel rooms late in the night.
“It seems like an overreaction to me. The ECB have been playing down the Bairstow story, saying it had no legs, but then go and do this. It’s a very, very strange decision.” Bell concluded.
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Moreover, Bell is hopeful of England giving their best in the pink ball Test in Adelaide which will kick off on December 2 while stating the visitors have a solid opportunity to level the series.
The 35-year-old Bell played 118 Test for England in which he scored 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69. He smashed 22-hundred and 46 fifties under his belt. He also played 161 ODIs and eight T20Is.