London, Nov 19  : Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh has said that England batsman Ian Bell is a better player and would be more important for his side in the winter Ashes than his teammate Kevin Pietersen.

According to Metro. co. uk, Waugh believes that even though Pietersen dominates on flatter pitches with less sideways movement, he fails to catch up with his footwork on the faster, bouncier wickets, which are usually found in Australia.

Waugh further said that Pietersen's two big scores in Australia came in first innings at Adelaide , which is the flattest Test pitch in the country, adding that when the star batsman is out of touch, he is very ordinary.

Backing Bell, Waugh further said that Bell is better than Pietersen and also nicer to watch, adding that without Bell, England probably would not have won in the summer Ashes.

Waugh also said that Bell would be a key player for England again in the winter series.

According to Waugh, Bell is more than capable of reproducing the form he showed in England and he is the wicket Australia have to get, adding that the reason Bell is so important is because the rest of England's batting looks fragile. (ANI)