Bell comes of age as test batsman

Ian Bell came of age as an England batsman on Friday with a monumental 199 on the second day of the first test against South Africa at Lord's.

Bell found an ideal lieutenant in the increasingly impressive Stuart Broad, who stroked 76 at number eight, as England reached a seemimgly impregnable 593 for eight when Michael Vaughan declared.

South Africa were seven without loss in reply before rain and bad light brought a premature end to the day's play.

Although Bell's abundant talent has never been questioned his reaction to pressure has after a series of soft dismissals when seemingly well set.

His response at Lord's was to help Kevin Pietersen (152) revive England from a shaky 117 for three on Thursday with a fourth-wicket partnership of 286, a record against South Africa.

After Paul Collingwood (7) and Tim Ambrose (4) had fallen cheaply either side of lunch, Bell and Broad added 152 for the seventh wicket, another England record against the South Africans.

They were assisted by some more inaccurate bowling from the South African pace attack, sloppy ground fielding and stolidly unimaginative captaincy from the world's most experienced leader Graeme Smith who rotated his bowlers mechanically and rarely altered the field.

South Africa also did themselves no favours when Dale Steyn peppered tail-ender Ryan Sidebottom with some short-pitched deliveries after a rain break in the final session.

Pietersen, 104 not out overnight, survived a caught-and-bowled chance to Jacques Kallis after scoring 133 to reach his fifth test score over 150.

He was finally dismissed after hitting 20 fours and a six, caught behind by Mark Boucher from an attempted hook off Morne Morkel.

BROAD FLOURISHES

Collingwood, to his dismay, was given out caught at short-leg by Hashim Amla off slow left-armer Paul Harris and Ambrose's wretched international form continued when he edged Morkel to Smith at first slip.

Smith persisted with Harris's guileless spin, allowing Broad to play himself in, while Bell unveiled a series of exquisite strokes.

He glided Morkel to the boundary and backward point and played two immaculate backfoot strokes for four off Harris and Kallis. An on-drive of textbook perfection against Kallis brought up his 150 and the 50 partnership.

Smith took himself out of the solitary slip position in a totally defensive field setting to Makhaya Ntini's bowing. Bell responded by cutting a boundary and feathering the next ball past Boucher to the boundary.

Left-hander Broad again looked a batsman of true test pedigree, dealing competently with short-pitched deliveries at his body and driving fluently.

He reached his second test fifty from 85 deliveries and a maiden century was a distinct possibility when he was bowled hitting across the line against Harris. His innings took only 124 balls and included 10 fours.

Bell was eventually out hitting a simple catch back to Harris, who rolled on the ground in gratitude. He had batted for 496 minutes and hit 20 fours and a six from 336 balls before becoming the first Englishman to perish one short of a double-century.

"Hopefully that can turn a corner for me," Bell told a news conference. "The best players in the world go on and get big hundreds. I wanted to go out there and make a big impact in this series.

"I think I've played like that for England but not gone on. People sit up and take notice when you score big ones, not sixties and seventies. It would certainly be the best innings I've played for England so far."