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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUPFebruary 22, 2015Ian BellCHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND Q. After a day like the other day, how did the players cope with it? How do you regroup? IAN BELL: Well, I suppose it's about how we react tomorrow, isn't it, really. I think we've got to put on a good performance. Obviously the result is obviously the most important thing, but it would be nice to put it on with real clinical cricket. We haven't done that in these two games. We've been well off the pace, so it would be nice to turn up tomorrow and put all together the kind of game that we know we can. That's what we've got to do. I think even though what's happened has been so bad, it's irrelevant for what happens tomorrow, and that's what we've got to make sure, that tomorrow we turn up and play our best cricket. Q. Is this where the senior players are most important, where you have to come into your own? IAN BELL: Yeah, obviously the guys who have got the most experience and have been through sort of days like that before or even good days, it's important to be able to speak to the group, make sure the group are calm and ready for tomorrow, and that's the important thing. So yeah, we've had, I suppose, a part to play over the last 48 hours, and a bit important here, if we can get certainly for myself a good start with Mo tomorrow, it sort of helps us on our way to putting a good performance in. Q. You say you've been off the pace in the first two games. Do you have any theory why that is? You went into both those games with some amount of optimism. IAN BELL: Absolutely. I think since we've been in Australia with the Tri Series there was some really good stuff going on, and we wanted to put it all together, we just haven't. Preparation going into the game I thought was unbelievable. We couldn't have done any more in Wellington, and to go out and play like we did was, I suppose it's already been said, it was embarrassing, and the fact that we have to apologise to people about the cricket is not acceptable. Yeah, it's really disappointing, the fact what we've done, but hopefully the next four games we've got in this group, we can put it right and start playing the kind of cricket that everyone knows we can and we deserve the people to watch us to. Q. Does it make it almost slightly more worrying because you don't know why it happened? IAN BELL: Look, I think there was some outstanding cricket from New Zealand, but that's not taking away how badly we were. I think it's difficult to say what actually happened. I think maybe there was a bit of nerves. There's no doubt about that. Certainly the MCG. But the tenor in the group is there to put this right, there's no doubt. There's a lot of cricket to be played in this World Cup, and we have to go back to just doing the simple things right. When we do that, like I said, we're a dangerous side. But we certainly can't play like we have in the last two games. Q. We've seen one associate team beat a top team and others around top teams close. Is this because the associates have improved that much or because the big teams are playing below par? IAN BELL: It's a bit of both. Obviously having been a part of when Ireland beat us in India, we played some good cricket. I think we got 320 and there was some outstanding cricket, and having certainly a Warwickshire, we've got a few of the Irish guys in our squad, there's some talented cricketers, and I know the Scottish guys, as well, some good county experience there, and they perform regularly well in first class cricket. We fully respect them, had a good look and a good chat this morning, but for us now, I think as a group we've got to do what we do well, and if we do that, then that should be enough. Q. Is it the manner of these opening two defeats that is most concerning, because on the flipside, there's still plenty of group games to go, you could win all of those, you could go into the quarterfinals with a lot of momentum. Is that a thing you've got to remember? IAN BELL: We have to, yeah. The next four games are the most important for us, certainly starting tomorrow, but if we can play some good cricket in the next four, it'll just put us in a good place going into the next round of games. Yeah, certainly for us, I know it's hard to say, but whatever has gone has gone now, and we have to focus on tomorrow and start putting in good performances over the next four games. Q. There's been a lot of talk about the style England want to play their cricket in. What is that style? IAN BELL: Well, we want to play aggressive cricket. We just haven't managed to do that in the last two games. I think there's been glimpses on this tour when we've put it together, but yeah, we want to play an aggressive brand of cricket, and we've got the talented youngsters and talented players to do it, it's just a matter of like I said, it's no good doing it in the nets, we have to take it into the middle and do it there. Q. The coach yesterday said that he likes naming the team 24 hours beforehand. Has he told you guys the team already? IAN BELL: Not yet. I'm sure he probably would after this to be honest. But sometimes it's impossible to do that if you can't get there's rain and you can't see the pitch, then it's not always easy. But yeah, ideally we do, and like I said, it's not always in an ideal world, but it's always nice to know the team that are playing. Q. England have been bowled out obviously quite a few times of late, and yet we still hear about this aggressive approach. Might it not make sense to change that and for you to try to bat through? Is that something that's been talked about? IAN BELL: Well, yeah, you want to bat through, but there's no point trying to survive, either. You've got to play aggressive cricket. That's where one day cricket is going. But that doesn't mean slogging, it doesn't mean trying to hit every ball for six. It's being smart, as well. There is a blend to that, but we don't want to take a backwards step and go back to trying to survive and build a total and go hard in the last 10. We want to play aggressive cricket, and that's not just with the bat, that's with bowling, that's with fielding, and that's where we want to take English cricket. We certainly don't want to take any backwards steps now and go back to surviving and building up and going hard in the last 10. But saying that, we have to be smart and you have to play the conditions that are in front of you. Yeah, that's why I believe it's the right thing for us, but there's no point trying to get away from being aggressive. We've got some good players. We've got to let them go out and play with their instinct and take people on. Q. Are you concerned that Paul Collingwood can give a particular insight into your team and what he can offer the Scottish side? IAN BELL: Not really. I don't think there's too many secrets nowadays in international cricket. There's so much footage on everyone. You don't go into games I think at this level surprised at what people can do. You know people's strengths and weaknesses inside out. Not really on that sort of thing. Obviously Colly is a good guy. He knows his cricket very well. He's a good coach. They've got a good guy there, and it'll be a good challenge. Good to see him tomorrow, but hopefully we can put one over on him. Q. You've come to this city, obviously a beautiful place that was decimated by the earthquakes. What was your impression, and I understand you had a talk about the various impacts of that. What did you get out of that? IAN BELL: Yeah, obviously it was a really interesting talk. Obviously put a lot of things into perspective, certainly the way we've played our cricket in the last two days. But having remembered this city as such a busy city and such, I suppose, as well, such a big sports city, as well, yeah, it's amazing to come back to this. But the way that it's moved forward, as well, and the way people have come together and got sport back on, and to be here again is really nice. Yeah, it put a lot of things into perspective, certainly after the 48 hours we've had as a team. Q. Is that important because sometimes you can get really wrapped up and caught up in cricket, and obviously there's a big world outside of it. Is that important to kind of reset every now and again? IAN BELL: Yeah, it is. Like I said, it was incredible to actually listen, listen to how what actually happened here but also going forward how the whole everyone came together moving this place forward, and even now the fact that sport was back into the city very quickly and the way that everyone got together moving forward is incredible, and we can take that as a team, as well. Certainly help us understand that we can move on, as well, which is a good thing. Q. You said you had to apologise for your terrible cricket. What's the feeling back home in England? As an outsider we keep hearing that ODI cricket is not really taken too seriously, with an element of condescension almost. As a player and as people back home, what's your feeling of ODI cricket? IAN BELL: One day cricket is taken very seriously at home, I think. Obviously we have some amazing Test series that we're a part of that obviously with the history of the game is great to be a part of, which is fantastic, but one day cricket is very serious, and we want to win a major 50 over tournament. There's no doubt about that, and I'm sure that people are very upset with what happened the other day. We were, as well, in the dressing room. There's no doubt we were absolutely gutted about the performance. We expect people at home to be angry about that performance. But now, like I said, it's about tomorrow now, and hopefully we can put on something that at least I don't think it would repair the damage fully, but at least it's a step in the right direction, and that's what we've got to do and keep working hard. There's no doubt there's a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes. All the preparation has been fantastic. The guys have worked really hard, but we've got to do it on the pitch now. Q. Can I just check what your experiences are of Christchurch? Were you here as a young player and young cricketer? IAN BELL: Yeah, I think it was 2008. I think we started the test tour off here for I think a warm up game, so we had quite a bit of time here. Obviously not a great deal, but obviously you always watching the rugby and stuff, you know it's a good place for sports, in particular rugby and the cricket. I think possibly did a 12th man job obviously at the old ground, as well, so to see some of the slides yesterday and the pictures of the old rugby ground, again, puts a lot of things into perspective how this city has had to move on very quickly. Yeah, we're looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully we can put on a good show for people here, as well. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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