England’s former top-order batter, Ian Bell, has been appointed as batting coach of Sri Lanka’s batting coach for England’s tour. The test series consists of three test matches. Bell will coach the Sri Lanka team for the entire series. The series will start on 21st August. Ian Bell will join the team on 16th August.
Ian Bell has played 118 test matches for England from 2004 to 2015. He scored more than 7000 test runs at an average of 42.69. He scored 22 centuries and 46 fifties. He is regarded as one of the best test players in English cricket history. Bell came to the rescue of the team in crunch situations, especially the Ashes Tests.
Bell’s appointment came at a time when the Sri Lanka team was seeking a coach for the batting department. The English tour is challenging for Islanders and Bell is the right man to enable the fragile batting line of Sri Lanka to take on the English challenge.
Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket said “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 input will help our team in this crucial tour,”
Bell has a rich coaching experience. He has coached Derbyshire, Warwickshire, and England’s U-19 cricket teams. Bell was a consultant for New Zealand’s men’s cricket team in the ODI World Cup in India.
Bell has also been coaching in the BBL (Big Bash League). He was part of the coaching staff of Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes. Coaching Srilanka will be his first stint as a head coach of any international team.
Sri Lanka wants to continue their winning momentum with their interim coach Jayasuriya including a recent series win against India. The inclusion of Ian Bell to the coaching staff will give a tactical edge to the team.
Also Read: India To Host Aisa Cup 2025