By Oliver Brett

Kevin Pietersen will be try to smack it to all parts, but we've got some good players to combat him Ian Bell

Warwickshire's Ian Bell admits that coming back to playing county cricket in Saturday's C&G final will make a refreshing change.

After playing a significant role in last year's winning campaign in the County Championship, Bell has barely featured for Warwickshire since the early weeks of this season.

He said: "The guys in the team have done well to get us to the final and it's nice for a guy like me who has grown up there and who has a lot of friends in the area to have the opportunity to go out and play in a Lord's final.

"It's quite good to take the pressure away from the Ashes."

Bell, a gifted schoolboy cricketer, played his first significant innings in front of a viewing public when Warwickshire beat Essex in the 2002 Benson & Hedges final.

Aged just 20, he hit 65 not out to win the man of the match award in a low-scoring match.

The following year, coach John Inverarity, who retires at the end of this season, began his involvement with Warwickshire and quickly established himself as Bell's guru.

Bell says: "John has helped me move my game forward massively. He's very old fashioned in his approach to four-day cricket.

"He's helped me in terms of being side-on and with the shape of my shots.

It gives everyone a boost when you have the likes of Ashley Giles playing

"He got me away from the Warwickshire environment by sending me to Perth during the winter. I owe a lot to him.

"He's moved me from being a young schoolboy cricketer to a young professional cricketer and hopefully a lot more."

Warwickshire will have a formidable side to face Hampshire, as Ashley Giles also makes a brief return from England duty, and Makhaya Ntini plays in a Lord's final for the first time.

"It gives everyone a boost when you have the likes of Ashley Giles playing," says Bell.

"Makhaya is obviously a fine player. He's been fantastic for Warwickshire and given us the energy we needed at that point in the season.

"And Nick Knight as captain, his record for us in one-day cricket is pretty outstanding. If he leads the way then a lot of the guys follow."

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The extraordinary Ashes Test series has gripped the imagination of all cricket followers in England this summer, and they include Bell's Warwickshire team-mates.

"The guys at Warwickshire are massive England supporters and want us to do well.

"Everyone wants to know what's going on out in the middle - these guys are no different - but hopefully on Saturday Ashley and me can just go out there and contribute and help the other guys."

Leading the way for the Hampshire batsmen on Sunday will be Kevin Pietersen and Shane Watson.

Bell says: "Kevin will be out there to enjoy it and to smack it to all parts. But we've got some good players to combat him.

"Ashley is a fantastic bowler but Kevin will come after him and the contest between the two of them will be good to watch.

"I'm pretty sure any contest involving Kevin Pietersen will be good to watch."

But it will also be interesting to see how Bell himself performs without having to face McGrath, Lee, Warne and co.