Warwickshire v Sussex: Ian Bell warms up for England's opening Test against South Africa with half-century While his England and Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott sunned himself on a family break on the Côte d'Azur, Bell made a smooth transition back to first-class cricket, having won the player of the series award in the recent one-day internationals against Australia. We have had so much bad weather around and a lot of practice in the one-day series was indoors so this was an opportunity to spend a bit more time in the middle. I was trying to get out of one-day mode and to rein myself in and get back into four-day mode. Bell arrived at the ground half an hour after the start of play having attended a morning hospital appointment with his wife Chantal, who is five months pregnant with their first child. She is due to give birth around the start of England's Test series in India which means that Bell will have to return home to attend the birth. William Porterfield and Varun Chopra held the fort until Bell arrived, adding 66 for the first wicket before both went lbw to Panesar either side of lunch. Jim Troughton then joined Bell in a busy third-wicket stand of 80 and was unbeaten on 42, his highest championship score of a lean season, when the rain arrived at tea time.