Ton-up Bell reprieved in run-out controversy

Ian Bell’s maiden Test hundred against India batted England into a strong position before he was given a sporting reprieve after seemingly throwing his wicket away on Sunday.

After a chaotic climax to the second sesssion of the third day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, and some tea interval discussions, Bell was 137 not out in an England second innings total of 254 for three — a lead of 187 runs.

Bell, to the last ball before tea, was run out when, having completed three runs with Eoin Morgan following a misfield by Praveen Kumar, he sprinted off the field believing the umpires had called ‘time’.

In fact the ball was still ‘live’ and, after calling in the third umpire to determine which batsman had been dimissed, the on-field officials gave a stunned Bell out.

England coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss went to the visitors’ dressing room at tea to ask India, whose coach is ex-England supremo Duncan Fletcher, if they wanted the appeal to stand.

And minutes later India withdrew their appeal.

On-field umpires Marais Erasmus of South Africa and Pakistan’s Asad Rauf emerged after tea to boos from spectators, unaware the decision had been reversed, as did India before the jeers turned to cheers when Bell came out to resume his innings.

Bell had shared a third-wicket stand of 162 with Kevin Pietersen before Shanthakumaran Sreesanth terminated what threatened to be a match-winning partnership as England looked to go 2-0 up in the four-Test series.

Bell, 84 not out at lunch and scoring briskly, went to 98 with a fluent cover-driven four off medium-pacer Kumar.

Then a leg-glanced two off Sreesanth saw the 29-year-old Bell, batting at number three because of the shoulder injury suffered by Warwickshire colleague Jonathan Trott on Saturday, to his 15th hundred in 67 Tests and fourth this year off 129 balls with 17 fours.

Pietersen, who’d taken 52 balls for his first boundary, struck three fours in one over off seamer Ishant Sharma.

NOTTINGHAM, England, July 31, 2011 , AFP

England 
1st Innings 221 
India 1st Innings 288 
ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS 
 
A. Strauss c Dhoni b Sreesanth		 16
A. Cook c Yuvraj b Sharma		  5
I. Bell not out				137
K. Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth	 63
E. Morgan not out			 21

Extras (b9, lb1, w1, nb1)		 12
TOTAL (3 wkts, 66 overs)		254
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Cook), 2-57 (Strauss), 3-219 (Pietersen).
Bowling: Kumar 21-4-66-0 (1w); Sharma 19-3-76-1; Sreesanth 14-4-46-2 (1nb); Yuvraj 3-0-12-0; Harbhajan 7-1-36-0; Raina 2-0-8-0.