Bell determined to score big to lay to rest his Ashes demons

SYDNEY - England batsman Ian Bell, who has a meager average of 25.68 in 13 Tests against Australia, is determined to score big during the upcoming series against Australia, to lay to rest his Ashes demons.

Bell is yet to fire in an Ashes series, with his average of 25.68 over 13 Tests against Australia far below his career average of 42.92.

The 28-year-old missed the recent series win over Pakistan due to injury and is no guarantee to play against Australia in the first Test, starting at the Gabba on November 25, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“Over the last 18 months my cricket has got better and better and this for me is coming at the right time of my career,” Bell said in Perth on Wednesday.

“In my past maybe I haven’t played as well as I should have done against Australia but hopefully in the future of my Test career I can start putting more performances in.

“Everyone has been asking for performances under pressure from me, I’ve started to do that in the last 18 months and hopefully I can put more in this series. This is a big series for me personally and the team,’ Bell said.

Bell said England learned valuable lessons from the 5-0 thumping they received when they last toured Australia four years ago.

“That Test series was a massive learning curve in a way. That Australian side on paper was an outstanding side and a great experience to come and play against one of the best teams ever in their own backyard. So for me at that age was a great experience,” he said.

“Obviously it was disappointing where the series went but I think a lot of the guys learnt a lot about how the best players in the world play and how desperate we were to come back and improve over the next few years after that series,” he said. (ANI)