Bell disappointed to miss century

England batsman Ian Bell admitted to frustration about missing out again on a hundred after the opening day of the fifth Test in Sydney.

Bell was dismissed for 71, the fourth time he had passed fifty in the series without reaching three figures.

"I thought I'd got through that back in England last summer when things were going really well," he said.

"It's something I need to properly look at, to make sure when I get in [I go on] because the top players do that."

Highlights: Fifth Test - Day One
Interview: England batsman Ian Bell

Bell hit three centuries in England's home series against Pakistan last summer but fell short at the SCG when Glenn McGrath, playing his final Test, ended his 153-ball innings by finding a small gap between bat and pad to bowl him.

"It's something I'm going to look back on and be pretty disappointed really. Something I really wanted to do over here was go on and score hundreds. That's what you've got to do if you want to be a world-class player, and especially batting at number three."
The Warwickshire batsman paid tribute to Australia's bowlers for making scoring difficult during his third-wicket stand of 108 with Kevin Pietersen.

"There was a period when me and Kev [Pietersen] were out there and they made it really hard work for us and it was just a matter of getting through that.

"McGrath and [Stuart] Clark bowled exceptionally well and as a unit, Australia generally put the ball in really good areas.

"[Facing] McGrath is all about patience, he just tests out your technique all the time. I knew what he was trying to do to me and he got me in the end, I guess," he said.

After Pietersen's elevation to number four above Paul Collingwood, Bell insisted it made no difference to him who followed him in the batting order.

"I've tried to stay out of all the talk about that and concentrate on what I've got to do.

"As long as Kev's happy where he wants to bat and it fits in with the team, I think it's the right thing to do."