Ian Bell joins Sri Lankan coaching team

Former England cricketer Ian Bell has joined the Sri Lankan national cricket team. He will serve as a batting coach for the Lankan team during their England tour. 

On Tuesday (August 13), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced Ian Bell as the batting coach of the men’s team for the England tour. In the ongoing England tour, Sri Lanka will play a three-match Test series against the hosts, starting on August 21st. This Test series is part of the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship.  

Ian has a lot of experience playing in England: SLC

Bell has a lot of experience playing in England, and the SLC wants to utilize his valuable experience for the men's team during the away Test series. 

The SLC CEO, Ashley De Silva officially stated, “We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there. Ian has a lot of experience playing in England, and we believe his inputs will help our team in this crucial tour.” 

Bell will start his work with the Lankan team on August 16th.

Sri Lanka are in fourth place in the points table of the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship. They have earned 24 points after four Tests (two wins and two losses) with a 50.00 percentage of points.

If Sri Lanka win the upcoming away Test series against England, it will be a huge success for the Lankan team, and the team will be strongly set in the 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship points table.  

Ian Bell was one of the greatest English batters

The 42-year-old former English cricketer Ian Bell represented the England cricket team from 2004 to 2015. He played 118 Tests, 161 ODIs, and eight T20Is for England. 

Bell scored 7727 runs in Tests, including 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries. The right-handed top-order batter also scored 5416 ODI runs, including four centuries and 35 half-centuries. Meanwhile, he scored 188 T20I runs, including one half-century.  

After retiring from international cricket in 2015, Bell continued domestic and franchise cricket. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2020.