NOTTINGHAM: Ian Bell marked his return to England`s one-day side with an unbeaten 84 as they defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the first of a three-match series at Trent Bridge here on Thursday.

Bell, recalled in the absence of injured No 3 Kevin Pietersen, faced 101 balls with six fours as England, chasing 251 to win, finished on 251 for four with 29 balls to spare in this day/night fixture.

Defeat left Bangladesh still searching for their first win against England, who have now beaten the Tigers in 20 matches all told, a sequence comprising eight Test victories and 12 one-day international successes.
This was Bell`s first ODI since facing India in Bangalore in November 2008.
However, he`d restated his one-day case with a limited overs best 158 for the second string England Lions in their tied triangular series match against India A on Tuesday.

This was a much less spectacular innings but one England needed after they lost two wickets in quick succession to be 93 for two.

"Andy Flower (the England coach) spoke to me about a few things when he left me out of the side last year, mainly about playing spinners in the middle overs and it`s started to pay off," Bell told Sky Sports.

England captain Andrew Strauss, who made a brisk fifty, added: "We were pretty happy with the way we dealt with the ball except maybe the start.
"It was a pretty clinical and professional chase and we are happy to have won the game."

Bangladesh, without a win in 2010, saw this defeat made worse as wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, hit in the face by a delivery from spinner Faisal Hossain and top-scorer Raqibul Hasan, who broke a toe when struck on the foot by Engand seamer James Anderson, both suffered injuries that ruled them out of the remainder of the series.

Raqibul had marked his return to international duty with 76 in a total of 250 for nine fter quitting in protest at being left out of Bangladesh`s preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

He was out after runner Shakib Al Hasan was stranded mid-pitch and run out in a dismissal that summed up Bangladesh`s match.
England made a rapid start to their reply thanks to a first wicket-stand of 75 between captain Andrew Strauss, whose 37-ball fifty featured seven boundaries, and Craig Kieswetter.

Strauss has opted out of Twenty20, and so missed England`s World Twenty20 final win against Australia in Barbados in May, because he believes his game is not suited to the format.

But there was no lack of aggression from the left-hander as he lofted Shafiul Islam over extra-cover.

However, in the 12th over and having just reached his fifty, Strauss was needlessly run out.

Kieswetter pushed spinner Abdur Razzak into the covers and Strauss called him through for a single. But Strauss, who didn`t dive, failed to beat Mahmudullah`s direct hit from cover.

Then Kieswetter, who`d launched Razzak for six, fell for 32 when he top-edged a slog-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan, another of Bangladesh`s spinners, and Faisal took a well-judged catch on the boundary.

Paul Collingwood and Bell steadied the innings with a partnership of 80.
Collingwood was out for 33 when a top-edged sweep off Shakib was caught by stand-in keeper Junaid Siddique.

But Bell, using his feet well against the spinners, saw England to victory with his 16th fifty in 80 ODIs.

Tamim Iqbal, who made hundreds in both of England`s two recent Test wins over the Tigers, got Bangladesh off to a blistering start as he took fours off the first two balls of the innings from James Anderson.

But their run-rate was checked when Tamim, trying to guide a straight ball from first change Stuart Broad to third man, was lbw for 28 to leave Bangladesh 40 for one.

Siddique and Raqibul frustrated England and it needed the introduction of left-arm spinner Michael Yardy, the seventh bowler used, to break the third-wicket stand when he had Siddique lbw for 51.
The series continues at Bristol on Saturday.

BDST: 1135 hrs, July 9, 2010