Ian Bell: Australia Will Believe Record Ashes Run Chase is Possible

Ian Bell has warned that Australia will believe they can chase down a record 412, with anything possible in Ashes cricket, but is confident England have enough runs on the board to take the 10 wickets needed to secure victory in the first Test in Cardiff. (Scorecard)

After bowling out England for 289 in the second innings and with two days of the match remaining, Michael Clarke's men will set out in the morning with a monster target in front of them. Should they pull it off, it will represent the highest successful run chase between the two sides.

Bell, whose 60 from No4 ended a run of nine Test innings without a significant score and followed an impressive bowling display first thing that led to Australia being rolled for 308, stopped short of claiming the target was out of reach.

"In this kind of cricket - Ashes cricket - anything is possible," said the 33-year-old. "They will back themselves to get close, if not to knock them off. If we bowl like we did the first 10 overs today, we will put ourselves in a great position. I believe we have a score that can win a Test match but we will have to work very hard."

Asked whether he had grown concerned about his own struggle for form since scoring 143 against West Indies in April, Bell replied: "I was actually. It's been a testing period for me. You have to dig deep, look right inside and work really hard. There's no doubt I was concerned. It's nice to play something like my best today."

Bell, playing in his seventh Ashes series, was quick to praise the spirit of the squad fostered under the new head coach, Trevor Bayliss, along with the young members of Alastair Cook's side who, he said, know only one way to play the game.

"It's a very good environment at the minute," Bell added. "It's about being positive all the time. We've just got guys who are raised that way.

"Whether it is because they have played a lot of Twenty20 or whatever, they just see the game a little bit differently. Trevor has been massive on not just plan A but having lots of routes, open to change. It's a breath of fresh air and great to be involved in."

James Anderson earlier took three for 43 - including the key wicket of Brad Haddin - before England set about turning the screw with the bat.

Cook's side lost regular wickets in the hunt for runs but Joe Root equalled Bell's top score with 60 and there was an entertaining 32 from 16 balls by Mark Wood.

The Australian spinner Nathan Lyon, who took four for 75, called on his batting colleagues to overcome the frustrations that resulted in numbers three to six getting out in the thirties and insisted, with 180 overs left in the game, the hunt is on.

"We've got to learn from our first innings - especially our batters - and aim to be more hungry at the crease and turn thirties into big hundreds," said Lyon. "We definitely have a big chance. If we bat two days the result will go our way. There's no reason why we can't dig deep."

Asked if England had surprised his side in the past three days, Lyon replied: "It's an Ashes series. It is one of the hardest series you will ever play as an Australian cricketer, so we are not surprised about England's talent or the way they have played cricket.

"They are exceptional cricketers and world-class cricketers and, with Trevor Bayliss as head coach, they have probably played with a lot more freedom - and that's providing good cricket. We are not surprised by England."