Ian Bell Stuns Critics As England Smash Kiwis in Twenty20 International

England's batting troubles have eased considerably after a composed Ian Bell smashed a 46-ball 60 to ensure a comfortable nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Twenty20 International.

Bell, under fire in the press for repeated failures during the Test series, showed nothing of the nerves that had hampered him to finish the match still at the crease with his wicket intact.

His partnerships with Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen were more than enough to see off a lacklustre Black Caps side, who had earlier been limited to 123-9 off their 20 overs following a highly disciplined England bowling display.

In the absence of Ryan Sidebottom, rested ahead of the One Day Internationals, England trio Broad, Swann and Anderson took two wickets each and offered the kiwis precious little in terms of width and opportunity.

Of the New Zealand batsmen, only the in-form pairing of McCullum and Ross Taylor managed to trouble England but couldn't convert their starts into big scores. McCullum was bowled by a beautiful Yorker from Luke Wright, whilst Taylor fell after troubled all-rounder and captain Paul Collingwood managed to get one to come in off the seam and remove the explosive T20 expert's middle stump.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly Bell, whose poise and beautiful timing got England off to the perfect start. With nine fours and a brilliant six crunched over long on, the most stylish of England's batsmen turned on the flair and by the time Wright was dismissed for a quick-fire 24, victory was a formality.

Ian Bell's performance might not have been enough to silence all of the doubters but his innings will come as a huge confidence boost ahead of the one-dayers and the South Africa series later in the summer. For those who stood by the silky strokeplayer, though, this knock will surely be a vindication of all of the arguments put forward on his behalf.

With pinch-hitter Wright and a more composed Bell opening the order in limited overs cricket, England might have found a pairing capable of cutting it at the top level and a platform to build an innings. The big-hitting Pietersen came in at first wicket down and produced the type of display that showed why he was once the best one-day batsman in the world, adding weight to the claim that the England team is developing strongly.

This will surely be tested more as the season progresses, with sterner tests to be faced against the vastly superior pacemen possessed by the Proteas.

However, for England fans, the return to form of Ian Bell could not have come sooner and sounds an ominous warning for the Kiwis ahead of the one-day series.