Boycott pep talk helped Bell ring up the runs against the Windies

London - Former England cricket captain Geoffrey Boycott has T revealed how he gave a struggling Ian Bell a pep-talk prior to his classy 61 that pushed England into a winning position at Lord’s against the West Indies.

Bell had averaged an incredible 118 in Tests in 2011 before his game fell apart against Pakistan, managing just 51 runs in six innings earlier this year.
  
His 61 against the West Indies yesterday, though, indicated that he was back.
 
 
“When I gave him his 75th Test cap this week, I told him he was probably the best batsman in the world last year,” the Daily Star quoted Boycott, as saying.
 
“He’s had a lean patch of late and he struggled against Pakistan’s spinner Saeed Ajmal in the winter,” Boycott added.
 
“But most good players, except for the real greats, will have gone through a lean patch at some point,” Boycott said.
 
 
“I told him it’s a test of character and temperament and how you deal with it. It’s just a matter of gritting your teeth and getting through it,” he added.