Ian Bell was one of England’s best all-format middle-order batsman of the early 2010s. The right-handed batsman played multiple match-winning knocks for his team and became an integral part of the England cricket team.
In this article, we will look at some of the most significant details about Ian Bell that you need to know.
Ian Bell’s Personal Life
Ian Bell was born on 11 April 1982 in Coventry, West Midlands. He studied at Princethorpe College before shifting his focus to the world of cricket. Bell got married to Chantal in 2011. He is an ardent follower of football and Ashton Villa.
Ian Bell’s Cricket career
Ian Bell played for England, England Lions, England Under-19s, Islamabad United, Marylebone Cricket Club, Perth Scorchers, Warwickshire, and Warwickshire Cricket Board in his cricket career. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pacer.
Tests
Ian Bell made his Test debut against West Indies at The Oval in 2004. Bell played 118 Test matches for England, where he scored 7727 runs at an average of 42.69. He recorded 22 hundred and 46 half-centuries at the international level.
ODIs
Ian Bell played his maiden ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare, just a few months after his Test debut. The right-handed batsman also played for England in 2007, 2011, and 2015 ODI World Cups. Bell scored 5,416 runs in 161 matches. His last ODI match was against Afghanistan in Sydney.
T20Is
Unlike Tests and ODIs, Ian Bell could not cement his spot in the English T20I team. He got a chance to play only 8 T20I matches from 2006 to 2014, where he scored 188 runs at a decent average of 37.87.
Retirement
Ian Bell announced his retirement from professional cricket last evening. He had been away from the global arena since 2015 but he was playing county cricket regularly. Bell played his last match against Somerset in the ongoing T20 Blast, where he got out for a duck.
