Ian Bell has described the performance that his England teammate James Anderson put in during the recent first Ashes Test against Australia as "sensational".
The bowler took five wickets in each innings, including the last four on Sunday afternoon as England secured a 14-run victory at Trent Bridge, taking a 1-0 series lead in the process.
Speaking to Sports Mole about Anderson's contribution in Nottingham, Bell, who will be writing a column for ESPNcricinfo throughout The Ashes, insisted that he would not swap the 30-year-old for any other bowler in world cricket.
"No way [would I swap him]. I'm glad he's on my team. That is where he is right now. Regardless of the conditions he gets, he's got the tricks now to bowl in all conditions," said Bell.
"He leads our attack well and communicates to all the other bowlers, passing on information, which puts us in a good place as a bowling unit.
"He was sensational in that last game really. To get 10 wickets on that surface was an incredible effort. He's doing incredibly well."
You can read our full interview with the number five batsman here.
Ian Bell will be writing exclusively throughout the Ashes series for espncricinfo.com.
Liam Apicella
