Bell hits career-best score as England punish Proteas
Ian Bell scored his second Test ton in his last 27 innings.
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A jubilant Kevin Pietersen described his century against South Africa at Lords today as "one of the most special days in my career". |  |
Friday, 11, Jul 2008 10:32
Ian Bell smashed 199 as England continued to dominate South Africa on day two of the first Test at Lords.
Bell hit his highest Test score as England declared on a mammoth 593-8 in the final session.
Kevin Pietersen earlier made a swashbuckling 152 while Stuart Broad joined in the fun with 76 as the home side continued to punish the Proteas' short bowling.
South Africa closed on 7-0 when bad light ended play, needing 392 runs just to avoid the follow-on.
In the morning session, the tourists' appeared not to have learnt anything from their wayward display yesterday.
Makhaya Nitini and Dale Steyn once again got their lengths all wrong as Pietersen and Bell hit 52 runs in the first 40 minutes.
Pietersen rode his luck on 133 off the bowling of Jacques Kallis, with the all-rounder spurning a difficult catch.
At the other end, Bell brought up his eighth Test century to hit back at his critics.
The Proteas' ended the 286-wicket partnership when Morne Morkel, who was not used in the first hour despite being the best bowler yesterday, firing in a bouncer which Pietersen gloved with Mark Boucher taking the catch.
Paul Collingwood's wretched run of form continued as he lasted just 13 balls after a poor umpiring decision by Billy Bowden. A delivery from Paul Harris struck Collingwood's pad with Hashim Amla taking the catch, with Bowden giving the Durham batsman out for seven.
Another man out of form, Tim Ambrose (4), continued his slump when he edged a delivery from Morkel to Smith at slip.
But if the tourists' thought that would lead to an England batting collapse, Bell and Broad had other ideas.
After playing second fiddle to Pietersen, Bell showed his class by smashing Harris all around Lords. The highlight of his innings was a sublime late cut stroke off Kallis.
His partner Broad continued to show his worth as a batsman with ten boundaries on his way to making 76, before being bowled by Harris.
Bell looked on course for his first double hundred but was denied by a stunning catch from Harris, with skipper Michael Vaughan then forcing the declaration.
Proteas' openers Smith and Neil McKenzie survived 20 balls before rain came to their rescue.