Sunday, March 17, 2002 It may appear that Ian Bell has burst on to the scene from nowhere, but it was inevitable that he would one day represent England. He is a quiet, well-mannered and highly respected member of the staff at Warwickshire, and an excellent batsman who has had rave reviews from all his coaches.

Technically he is very sound defensively - always a good start - and he has this innate ability to accumulate runs: often he seems to be in only for a short while and he has 25 on the board. I wish him all the best and hope he gets a chance to play, but at the same time I pray that he does not get pushed too far too quickly.

Ian is only 19, and has played just 13 first-class games to date. At Warwickshire, my strategy has been to blood him slowly. He had a small taste of first-team cricket last season when Nick Knight was playing in the triangular one-day tournament for England. He did not stand out - he likes to keep things simple, though his extra-cover drive is beautiful - but neither did he do badly.

But later in the season, when Dominic Ostler got injured, Ian got his second chance and grabbed it with both hands. He batted his socks off, scoring two hundreds and three nineties in six innings. Rodney Marsh at the England Academy has been similarly impressed, albeit with small reservations. Ian will play for England, and he will score runs, but like all coaches I worry that if he gets there too quickly he could be over-exposed and might fail unnecessarily.

I would prefer that he sorted out the finer points of his technique in county cricket. That way he will be ready for the step up, rather than having to spend time rehabilitating with a number of pundits telling him what he should and should not be doing.

However, Ian is a solid character and a fine player, and I have no doubts he will adjust to this next level. He has a strong head on his shoulders and a wise one, and he flies out to New Zealand with all of Warwickshire wishing him well, and hoping he is successful. I just hope that my fears are groundless.

Bob Woolmer, South Africa's coach from 1994 to 1999, is now coach at Warwickshire.

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