Ian Bell fell agonisingly short of a double century at Lord’s but his Test-best 199 left England in a commanding position against South Africa on the second day of their series opener in London on Friday.
The Proteas, when rain forced an early close, were seven without loss in reply to England’s first-innings 593 for eight declared.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who had opted to field after winning the toss, was two not out and Neil McKenzie five not out.
Bell did something few England batsmen have managed in recent years — upstage the South Africa-born Kevin Pietersen who earlier made 152 in his first Test innings against the Proteas.
His innings was all the more impressive as Bell had arrived at Lord’s under pressure for his England place after making just 45 runs in his four previous Test innings and knowing Andrew Flintoff’s return from injury was imminent.
But the 26-year-old, whose century was his eighth in 40 Tests, maintained the form he had shown in making 215 for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire during a recent County Championship match.
”If I knew I was going to get 199 coming into this game, I’d have snapped your hand off,” Bell told reporters when asked if he felt disappointed or happy. ”But a double hundred at Lord’s would have felt really special.”
Bell, often accused of not making big scores when England really need runs, added: ”Getting a big hundred is not something I’ve done enough of in my career so far but hopefully I’ve turned a corner.”
South Africa coach Mickey Arthur, who had highlighted Bell’s seemingly precarious position in the build-up to this match, jokingly said: ”I put the kiss of death on him, didn’t I?”
Arthur added: ”Ian Bell showed his class. We wanted to put him under pressure, we discussed a length to bowl to him, and we gave him four half-volleys to kick-start his innings. That wasn’t part of the script. But hats off to him, he came into the game under pressure and he delivered.”
England, who had resumed Friday on 309 for three with Pietersen 104 not out and Bell unbeaten on 75, started the final session on 535 for six.
Bell was then 171 not out and fast-bowler Stuart Broad, belying his status as a number eight, 54 not out.
Some of left-hand bat Broad’s cover-drives off fast-bowler Morne Morkel were worthy of his father, Chris, the former England opening batsman.
For the second match in a row, Broad (22) posted a Test-best score, beating the 64 he made against New Zealand at Trent Bridge last month.
Together with Bell, he shared an England record seventh-wicket stand against South Africa of 152, overtaking the 115 put on Johnny Douglas and Morice Bird at Durban in 1913/14.
But on 76 he played round a straight ball from spinner Paul Harris, having faced 124 balls with 10 fours.
Bell went into the 190s with a cheeky reverse-sweep four off left-armer Harris before two rain stoppages halted his innings.
In between the showers, Dale Steyn wastefully delivered several short balls at tailender Ryan Sidebottom but did not follow up with a yorker or full-length ball.
It was an unintelligent effort from someone ranked the world’s leading fast-bowler and symptomatic of the Proteas’ performance in the field on Friday.
Then what Bell admitted was a moment of indecision saw him become the seventh player in Test history and first Englishman to be out for 199 when he was caught and bowled by Harris off a checked drive.
England captain Michael Vaughan immediately signalled the declaration.
Four members of the Proteas’ five-man attack conceded more than 100 runs. Morkel, however, did take four wickets for 121 in his 34 overs.
Earlier, Pietersen’s partnership of 286 with Bell, who had come in when the hosts were in trouble at 117 for three, was an England fourth-wicket record against South Africa, surpassing the 197 shared by Wally Hammond and Les Ames at Cape Town in 1938/39.
Bell was equally comfortable against both spin and pace, lofting Harris for six over long-off and precisely cutting Morkel through the offside for four.
Bell completed his 150 in classic style by driving Steyn straight down the ground for four into the pavilion fence. He then went past his previous Test best of 162 not out against minnows Bangladesh at the Riverside three years ago with a cut four off Makhaya Ntini.
Hopes both England’s centurions would bat through the morning session ended when Pietersen’s gloved hook off Morkel was caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. — Sapa-AFP