Ian Bell, the former England batsman, reminisced about a famous ‘Spirit of Cricket’ moment in 2011 involving former India captain MS Dhoni and himself.
The moment arrived on the third day of the second Test match between the two countries in Nottingham. On the stroke of Tea on Day 3, England’s present white-ball captain Eoin Morgan guided the ball to the leg-side boundary with Ian Bell at the non-strikers’ end.
Ian Bell Admits He Committed A Mistake After Being Run Out In 2014 After Bails Were Dislodged When They Were Walking Back To The Pavilion For Tea Break
The batsmen thought the ball had raced away for a boundary but didn’t realize that Praveen Kumar managed to save the ball from hitting the ropes with a diving effort. The two Englishmen thought the ball had crossed the ropes and started to walk back to the pavilion for the short break.
Praveen Kumar then threw the ball to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, who passed the ball to Abhinav Mukund to dislodge the bails. Ian Bell, who was batting at 137 at the time, was legally declared run out after the Indian team appealed.
“They obviously got Dhoni a ‘Spirit of the Game’ award for the decade or something like that. But yeah [it was] a mistake on my behalf, should never do that,” Bell added.
The incidence prompted immense booing and various expressions of displeasure from the English crowd. Ian Bell, who played his last Test in 2015, scored 7727 runs, including 22 hundred, at an average of 42.69 in 118 Test matches while in the ODIs, he scored 5,416 runs in 161 matches. The stylish Ian Bell, known for his exquisite cover drives, was Man of the Series in one of the five Ashes triumphs and was also part of England’s memorable Test series triumph on Indian soil in 2012.
Ian Bell Returned To The Field After MS Dhoni Withdrew His Appeal And Was Awarded ICC Spirit Of Cricket Award Of The Decade
When the teams returned to the field for the final session, Ian Bell walked out, much to the delight of the spectators. It was later learned that MS Dhoni withdrew his appeal after discussions between the two sides.
Speaking to the Grade Cricketer’s YouTube channel, Ian Bell admitted that he ran back too soon without confirming with the umpires.
“Yes, it’s interesting. When I look back to that, I mean, I must have been hungry or something because I literally just belted for the pavilion when I thought it was four if it was either way around, I would have been safe and we would have been fine.
“But yeah, they obviously got Dhoni a ‘Spirit of the Game’ award for the decade or something like that. But yeah [it was] a mistake on my behalf, should never do that,” Ian Bell told The Grade Cricketer’s YouTube channel.
MS Dhoni was awarded the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the decade for his gesture. Ian Bell went on to score 156 runs and India lost the Test by 319 runs. Eventually, the visitors were white-washed 4-0 in the series.
One of the most successful captains in the history of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni was picked as the winner of the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the decade.
MS Dhoni pipped the likes of Kane Williamson, Mahela Jayawardene, Brendon McCullum, and others to bag the award for his decision to recall former England batsman Ian Bell following a controversial run out during the India-England Test series in 2011. Ian Bell admitted that he was naive and ‘a bit stupid’ in the whole incident.