England have been waiting for the real Ian Bell to stand up during this series and it appears they haven't come any closer to finding him. Twitter followers who thought they were gaining an insight into Bell's thinking were disappointed to discover that the user "ianbellmbe" was a hoax.

Comments on the Twitter page over the past week included "Getting back to county cricket is just what i needed! Rebuild, regroup, refocus, reenergise, recharge, resolve, revenge", and "The ashes big top moves on to leeds! It's great being part of the circus - as long as i'm more lion tamer than clown!"

But an ECB statement has confirmed that the entries are the work of an impostor. "These remarks were definitely NOT posted by Ian Bell," the statement said. "They are the work of a hoaxer and therefore should be disregarded."

If only Phillip Hughes could have used the same excuse. He found himself in a pickle with team management when his manager posted the fact that Hughes had been dropped from the Test team for Edgbaston before the announcement had been made public.