Ian Bell has declared himself fit to play in the final Test against Pakistan, which starts in Dubai on Friday.

The England batsman had been at the mercy of a stomach virus, which forced him to miss an important practice session on Wednesday. On Thursday, however, he emerged healthy and ready to correct an otherwise poor run in the United Arab Emirates.

"Bell was laid low but he's back practising," said captain Andrew Strauss.

"It's one of those things that happens on a different tour of a different country, different foods and everything. You've got to make the best of the situation and try and avoid it happening to you."

Pakistan have needed less than seven days of cricket to secure an unassailable two-nil lead in the three-match series, with the world's number one-ranked Test team trounced by 10 wickets in Dubai and 72 runs in Abu Dhabi.

While spin duo Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman have been at the forefront of the charge with 17 and 12 wickets respectively in the two matches, Bell's inability to cope with the slow bowlers has typified England's plight against the slow bowlers.

The right-hander averages a mere nine runs across his four knocks in the series thus far. Eoin Morgan is not much better at 10.25, while captain Andrew Strauss is languishing at 17.00.

"We are looking forward to putting in a performance in the last Test," insisted Bell. "The bowlers have been fantastic and now it's up to the batting unit to give them some support.

"It's important we do not lose that confidence and still play in an aggressive, attacking manner in this form of the game. The hardest part is starting an innings. It generally gets easier, the longer you go on."