‘I wanted the rollercoaster of being emotionally invested’: Ian Bell on coaching, England and the 2005 Ashes WhatsApp

It’s a sunny spring afternoon, a new season looms, and just a short stroll down the road from Knowle & Dorridge Cricket Club, Ian Bell is in his local stressing the importance of County Championship runs. One of the purest Test batters England has produced this century, Bell is also about to fly to the Indian Premier League for a spell of coaching.

Not that the two are necessarily a contradiction. Bell is excited to be joining Delhi Capitals as their new assistant coach before the IPL that starts on Saturday – a significant opportunity in his second career. But as much as T20 has transformed the sport, Bell insists that time batting against the red ball is still fundamental to the modern player.

“It is not just the younger guys who need that volume,” he says. “You see guys who specialise in T20 later on in their careers and struggle to recapture form without it; they turn up at tournaments cold from just nets, no actual cricket behind them, and suddenly it is hard to strike at 140 averaging 30-odd.

“I still see the value of scoring runs in first-class cricket and how it sets you up, learning how to bat, how to build hundreds, and how to stay out there for multiple sessions. I don’t think you can shortcut that stuff.”

Bell is on good form and in good nick, too. Even six years retired, about to turn 44 and with a sprinkle of grey in the beard, he looks as if he could still pull on the whites and peel off those honey-coated cover drives to order. These days he keeps it to some legends cricket or the Knowle & Dorridge fourth XI to play alongside his son – even if his debut for them last summer was a short‑lived three runs at No 7.

“It was an interesting pitch,” Bell says, with a wry smile. “But no, it was really nice to play with my son for the first time, something we’ll always cherish. And also quite weird in a way. We played in Cannon Hill Park and I could see the Edgbaston floodlights in the distance.”

Warwickshire clearly remains close to Bell’s heart. His daughter is in their under-11s and one day he hopes to return in a coaching capacity. But after retiring at the end of 2020, having ticked past 20,000 first-class runs, he says he made a conscious decision to look elsewhere first.

A back catalogue of 22 Test centuries and five Ashes wins doubtless opened a few doors but he has had to graft. There has been work with England’s under-19s and Lions, Derbyshire last summer, multiple franchise leagues, plus consultancy roles with Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Each one, he says, has brought a fresh perspective.

“In my head I always wanted to coach. Some of the people I have admired most in the game – guys like Andy Flower and Graham Gooch, two of the best – made me want to follow them into it. I tried a bit of media work but I always left the ground a bit ... I wanted just more involvement, that rollercoaster of being emotionally invested.

“I felt it was important to get away from Warwickshire and build up new experiences. That was the plan. In my view, if you stick around, you start coaching guys you played with, friendships possibly complicate things, old routines carry on etc. That kind of thing.

“And at a Test county, you only see one side of it. Part of the appeal of Derbyshire was both working with Mickey Arthur and – don’t get me wrong – the fact it wasn’t the flashiest place. Tight budgets, tough decisions. I now have a far more rounded understanding of the landscape.”

Bell’s latest role at Delhi Capitals shows another aspect of it, having worked with teams owned by GMR Group before this promotion to their flagship. He and the head coach, Hemang Badani, helped to guide Dubai Capitals to the ILT20 title last year, before a spell at Seattle Orcas in the US. This year he joins Southern Brave, another part of the Indian conglomerate’s growing portfolio.

“I have built up a good relationship with Hemang and [director of cricket] Venugopal Rao in those other roles. But it was a proper process. I certainly wasn’t given it because of, you know, being mates ... or mates of mates. I could probably shout about my coaching more but it’s not really in my nature. I’ve just tried to get my head down and earn my stripes.”

Beyond working with Delhi’s star players such as KL Rahul – “He is a classy player. I’m fascinated to see him up close” – Bell is itching to see how some of the domestic players fare. Last month he flew to India for a couple of training camps – a rare chance to lay some long‑term foundations in what can be a short‑term world.

“The key is making sure you build those relationships,” he says.

“Unlike county or international setups, where you have more time. I don’t think technique is the first thing you go to with the international players. And I don’t teach players to bat like I did. In my view, a good way of working with players is to help them find the best version of themselves.”

That earlier nod to Flower comes at an interesting time for England, with Brendon McCullum retained as men’s head coach after a sorry Ashes tour. Flower’s regime worked his players to the bone and delivered generational success. While McCullum has pushed back at the notion of his being “casual”, it clearly sits at the other end of the spectrum.

Bell is one of many grateful to have been shaped by Flower, part of sides that won in Australia and India, but admits plenty of it would not fly now.

Were he starting out now, there would also naturally be a greater T20 focus, joking how his lad has “more ramps and scoops” than he ever did.

The McCullum dressing room does sound appealing, Bell says, but personally believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to preparation. Young players should really be hassling coaches to rack up the time in the nets, only senior players can keep it light if they feel on top of their game.

Bell says: “I don’t think [the current England team] is about all‑out aggression but there’s no doubt they could adapt quicker at times, soak up the pressure better. Leave the ball a bit more. Joe Root, Steve Smith, they know where the top of off-stump is.”

It is here where we chat about Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell, the former deposed by the latter during the Ashes. Pope, now 28, has long drawn comparisons to Bell stylistically. But, despite heavy backing and nine Test centuries, he has never quite dominated a series à la Bell during the 2013 Ashes, for example, nor looked totally settled at No 3.

“It might not be a bad thing for him to drop out of the limelight for a little bit,” Bell says. “It’s very hard to tweak things at Test level. He would be the first to admit he has not been consistent enough. I guess it’s those first 20 balls and that calmness you need, like Jonathan Trott brought. His game is there, no question, it still just looks frantic early on.”

While Pope has always dominated at Surrey, Bethell progressed by dint of eye-catching technique and temperament alone, his first three professional centuries since coming for England. Bell has worked with the 22‑year‑old at Birmingham Phoenix, knows he is a gem, but is wary of unloading too many superlatives. “You should never be afraid of backing talent,” Bell says. “We saw it with Joe Root and Alastair Cook. And now Jacob’s winter has given him a platform to really kick on. That century in Sydney in January is what I mean about playing positively, calmly but still dominating.

“I still think it will be important for him to play for Warwickshire when he can, though. Nets only take you so far. He clearly has an immense amount of talent but let’s stay calm.”

It’s here where I point out that Bell was among those fizzing about Bethell during his early years at Warwickshire and Rugby School, dubbing him as “the best 17‑year‑old I have ever seen”. It echoed similar hype when he himself was coming up through the ranks.

“I guess it’s difficult to control what other people say about you,” Bell says. “Was it a hindrance to me? I don’t really know the alternative. But having walked through the door at Warwickshire as an 11-year-old and, finishing at 38, I couldn’t have given much more. Whether I met other people’s expectations, that’s on them really.

“It should always be team first, ultimately. Because those are the bits you miss, shared experiences and friendships; the dressing room after a series win. Even now there is an active WhatsApp group for the guys involved in the 2005 Ashes and we had a 20-year reunion last summer.”

Would he change anything? “Not much, maybe the end of my Test career. Before that last tour [England v Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in late 2015, where he scrapped for his runs], I needed a breather after 11 years on the road. Maybe six months off.

“England were actually on board with it. But I decided to keep fighting, and wasn’t clear‑minded. That was a lesson learned and something I will take into my coaching.”

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