Bell v How

Date released: 23 June 2008

The second in our series of player v player analysis, compares opening batsmen, Ian Bell and Jamie How. The two will meet in the England v New Zealand one-day international at Lord's on Saturday 28 June.

Radley runs the rule over the openers Running the rule over them is MCC Head Coach, Clive Radley MBE. 'Rad' recieved his MBE earlier this year for services to cricket after a cricket career that included both Test and ODI appearances for England.

He's now the Head Coach of MCC's Young Cricketers.

Ian Bell and Jamie How both open the innings for their respective countries - a crucial role in forming a foundation but who has the upper hand?

Ian Bell

Batting stats - 67 ODIs; 4 at Lord's

^{Stats from CricInfo's StatsGuru}

Bell: A great judge of line and length Ian Bell is one of the best technical batsmen in the game. When it's all working for him he looks like he could bat all day.

Shy of six feet tall he's shorter than most openers so bowlers try and unsettle him with bounce but he's got great judgement of line and length.

He can play shots all around the wicket too and when he's on song, as a coach, it's great to watch.

If there's a chink in his armour though it can be his concentration. Sometimes that trips him up, as it did up at Edgbaston in the second ODI when he was out in the first over.

People talk about Bell as not quite living up to expectations, as he doesn't turn fifties into hundreds often enough. I don't believe that.

You have to be a good batsman to get to fifty in the first place. It's just that concentration that sometimes slips.

Perhaps he gets ahead of himself and is already thinking about the ton before he gets there. I don't think it's anything to do with his courage, sometimes he chases the ball a little too hard if anything.

Bell doesn't lack for bravery. Any fielder that stands at short-leg under the lid has to have guts.

Bell's taken a few blows stood there too but always comes back for more. He's a great fielder with really sharp reflexes.

In the long-term I think England's decision to move him up to open the innings will pay off as he settles in to the role.

Jamie How

Batting stats - 23 ODI matches; 0 at Lord's

^{Stats from CricInfo's StatsGuru}

How: has the big shots in his armoury I have to confess to not knowing too much about Jamie How before he came over here.

He seems to have numerous personalities at the crease.

Sometimes he looks like a stoic accumulator of runs rather than an explosive stroke-maker, a batsman after my own heart.

Then I remember the century he scored against us [England] in Napier back in February, when he was smashing fours and sixes to all corners of the ground.

I watched him in the Test match here at Lord's in May and he seemed the same then too.

He only scored seven in the first innings but then came out in the second to get an excellent and extremely patient 68, batting for over three hours.

I wonder if he's struggling as a result of his team-mates' inexperience.

The Kiwis have lost a lot of great players to retirement in a short space of time, meaning they've got a lot of young players in their team all at once.

Players like James Marshall, Aaron Redmond and Ross Taylor (whom I know very well from his time at MCC) are all sound players but all very new on the international scene.

How's clearly looked on to take more responsibility, as his nomination as stand-in captain shows. He's not exactly a veteran of the international circuit himself, so it's a lot to ask of him.

He's got it all in his locker though, the big shots or the grinding patience. If he gets set England could have trouble removing him.

That said, it looks like he's susceptible to swing bowling. Jimmy Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom have picked him up a couple of times and we all know Jimmy likes to keep the Honours Board sign writer's busy here at Lord's!

The verdict

I'd pick Ian Bell for my team, every time. How's got the potential and skills to be a great player but Bell is at another level.

Technique, temperament and tenacity - all things I like in a batsman and Bell has them all. If he could just iron out those lapses in concentration those centuries will soon start coming.

What do you think? Would you pick Bell over How? If not, why not? Send us your comments and opinions, we'll publish the best ones: live@lords.org

Next up

MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson takes a look at some of the key all-rounders on show.

Read it exclusively, on Lords.org on Tuesday.