'Ex-whipping boy' Bell relishing chance to avenge Ashes misery against Oz

England batsman Ian Bell has admitted that he is relishing the chance to avenge his Ashes misery against Australia.

According to Sport24, Bell averaged just 32 in 18 Ashes Tests before the current series and became a whipping boy for the Australians, with Shane Warne taking several opportunities to taunt him for his perceived lack of grit.

However, the report said that the Warwickshire star has finally managed to stop Australia from extending their dominance against him as he matured into England's middle-order lynchpin by scoring a century in the last three Ashes Tests, including vital innings in the victories at Trent Bridge and Lord's.

Stating that he is more confident now that he has started putting up his hand as a senior player when needed, Bell said that he cannot wait to punish the Australian bowlers again at his favourite hunting ground Old Trafford, in which he had scored two hundreds and a 97 in five Manchester Tests, at an average of 87.

According to Bell, he is aware that he needed to improve on his perceived lack of grit against the Australians from his first couple of Ashes series, adding that it felt good to be scoring hundreds and being able to do things when the team need it most.

However, Bell is aware that the tourists will be determined not to surrender without a fight given the epic drawn Test against Australia in 2005, the last Ashes match played at Old Trafford, saying that he is expecting another tough game to come up.

But Bell said that for England, coming into the series has been about contributing to the team, adding that at Lord's, they had to work hard in different periods of the game for which they got their rewards at the end.

Bell also said that the couple of days off from the game would give them a well-deserved break to prepare themselves for Old Trafford.