until beaten by AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel in 2010–11. Bell retained his place for the fourth match in the series, but was successful with neither ball nor bat and, after a heavy defeat for the South African team which settled the rubber in favour of England, he was dropped for the final game. In all first-class matches on the tour he took 61 wickets at an average of 27.83. Test cricket in South Africa In his first match in South African domestic cricket after the tour, for Western Province against Eastern Province, Bell produced the best innings and match figures of his career: eight for 34 in the first innings was followed by five for 27 in the second, with all 13 victims bowled. The following year, 1930–31, England toured South Africa, and Bell kept his name in front of the selectors by taking six for 44 (and three for 44 in the second innings) for Western Province against Griqualand West in one of a limited first-class fixture list outside the tour matches that season. Bell missed out on the first Test match, which was won narrowly by South Africa, but was called into the team for the second game on an easy-paced wicket at Cape Town; he caused a small flurry of excitement by taking three quick wickets, those of Maurice Leyland, Maurice Turnbull, and Percy Chapman in a small England middle-order collapse, but the game petered out to a draw. He retained his place for the rain-ruined third Test at Durban, but the South Africans took only one wicket in the whole match, and he was dropped after this game. He was recalled for the fifth match of the series, but again made little impact. The match proved to be the last that he played in South Africa. Test cricket overseas After 1930–31, Bell's first-class cricket was confined to two tours with the South African Test side, one to Australia and New Zealand in 1931–32 and the other to England in 1935, with a solitary further appearance for Rhodesia in 1938–39. Bell finally became a regular Test player on the tour to Australia and New Zealand, playing in all seven Tests on the tour. The first Test was heavily influenced by the weather, rain preventing play for two days after Australia had made a total of 450, including 226 by Donald Bradman, and the South Africans