Ian Bell: Kevin Pietersen could still make England return

Ian Bell believes Kevin Pietersen could play for England’s Test team again. But the Warwickshire star has thrown his full weight behind Andrew Strauss, insisting he trusts and respects England’s new director of cricket.

Bell hailed Pietersen as “probably the best player I’ve ever played with” and suggested that there could still be a way back for the 34-year-old, although he did acknowledge the form of some of England’s other batsman may mean he has to wait.

He said: “This has been dragging on for a long time. It’s a pretty packed middle order right now. But if he keeps scoring runs maybe there’s a position in time. But it’s very difficult to get in right now. Our middle order’s been pretty good for a perod of time. Everyone deserves that opportunity now with a long summer ahead.”

Strauss told Pietersen on Monday that his Test career remains in the long grass, despite the 34-year-old blasting an unbeaten 326 just hours earlier.

Pietersen moved on to 355 not out in Surrey’s championship clash against Leicestershire at The Oval on Tuesday morning – while Strauss was battling to justify snubbing the South Africa-born player across town at Lord’s.

Bell refused to be drawn on behind-the-scenes discussions on Pietersen’s situation, claiming he had no knowledge of Alastair Cook, the captain, moving to block a recall for the former Nottinghamshire and Hampshire batsman.

He also backed Strauss to lead England into a new era, and said the Test squad can ill afford to linger over Pietersen’s situation with Test series against New Zealand and Australia ahead.

“There won’t be a quick fix for us now, it will take Andrew Strauss time, I’m sure he’ll have that,” said Bell. “As a bloke, would I have faith in him and trust him? Yes I would.

“Kevin is a quality player, probably the best I’ve ever played with. I don’t know what’s been going on in these meetings. I don’t know what’s been said. It’s no good as players us worrying about that.

“Will it harm our chances not to have him this summer? If we think about it and let it come into our dressing room and talk about it, yes it probably might. That’s all we can do as players, focus on what comes next.

“We haven’t been very good over the last 12 months, that’s the reality. So we have to start putting in performances now.”

Bell even conceded Pietersen would be right to feel aggrieved at his treatment, if the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new chairman, Colin Graves, had explicitly told him that top form would warrant his inclusion.

“I played 10 years with Kevin, we both went through highs and lows, and went through a lot of cricket together,” said Bell. “It’s very difficult to say anything: I don’t know what has gone on behind closed doors.

“I don’t know that conversation [with Graves] or how that took place. If that did happen and then you get 350, of course you can be a little aggrieved, can’t you? But you’d have to ask Colin Graves about that.

“Certainly English cricket is not in the place we’d like. We’ve had some really good times, but the last 12 months has been tough, on and off the field it’s not been great. Now we have to change that.”