Ian Bell eager to show his aggressive side

One of the key improvements in England's recent rise as a one-day side has been their ability to hit sixes and it is clear that power is now a pre-requisite to get into the team. This has led to a number of batsmen reinventing themselves and Ian Bell, who has been recalled to the one-day squad, knew he had to follow suit or get left behind.

Bell last played an ODI in November 2008 and his one-dimensional style of batting, perfectly suited to Test cricket, meant he was struggling to find a place in the increasingly forceful limited-overs game. His priority became saving a Test career that looked like falling by the wayside in South Africa last winter, but following a successful tour he was given hope of a future in one-day cricket when he toured UAE with the Lions and now he is back in the limited-overs set up.

"I've certainly tried to be stronger in terms of hitting over the top but I think it's about recognising situations when I need to do that and also when to knock it around," he said. "Going on the Lions trip to Dubai I found a method to my game that worked quite nicely in Twenty20 with a lot of advice from Graham Thorpe.

"It's just a matter of moving that to England. If you are going to bat at the top in the modern game you have to be able to have a mixed game in terms of hitting over the top and being assertive at certain times in the game. I've tried to do that with Warwickshire and hopefully I can carry it forward."

His one-day county form certainly suggests that the changes Bell has made are working. He has been making runs at an eye-catching strike-rate of 145.13 in the Friends Provident t20, alongside scoring at better than a run-a-ball in the Clydesdale Bank 40 while maintaining an average over 50 in both. He was under instructions to become more commanding at the crease and take charge of situations, rather than playing in his own bubble.

"It's something Andy [Flower] has spoken to me about," he said. "It's something he wants to see more of, he's seen glimpses of it but more consistently. A few things were asked of me in one-day cricket which I needed to go away and work on with Gilo [Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket] and hopefully the way I have played for Warwickshire is the way England have wanted me to play.

"Modern one-day cricket has moved on from guys who play normal shots. You can't be one dimensional. No one has told me to change as a person but one-day cricket has moved on from what it was 10 or even five years ago. Playing on the subcontinent, and anywhere around the world, you have to have different strengths to your game.

"It's not going to be every game you are going to be required to play like that but I've got to show I don't just have the touch game but the other side as well. It's trying to get two parts of my game working together."

Bell will hope for a chance to show off his new expansive repertoire in the next two weeks, beginning with the one-off match against Scotland and followed by five against Australia. Plenty can change between now and the start of the Ashes on November 25, but that doesn't dampen the enthusiasm for some early sparring.

"It's a great time to see where both teams are," said Bell. "The World Twenty20 final was a great momentum booster for us and I'm sure the Australians will be desperate to do well in the series. It's a good chance for us to go out and show we are improving."