Bell was a leg-spinner who would get sharp turn even with his googly. Though he had only picked 11 wickets in five first class games for Auckland and Canterbury, the selectors picked him for the tour of South Africa. Alex Moir was the lead spinner before him, but he fell out of favour with the men who matter.

In a tour game against Eastern Province, Bell took 4 for 31 and was able to land the ball in the right areas. He seemed to have been a good pick, however, in the two Tests that he played in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, he scalped only two wickets and went for 235 runs. His first class career was also a brief one, 21 games with 44 wickets at 40.52 and he was the perfect tailender.

Bell passed away on July 23, 2002, aged 70.