Sri Lanka appoint Ian Bell as batting coach ahead of England tour

Colombo, Aug 13: Former England cricketer, Ian Bell, has been appointed as Sri Lanka's batting coach for their upcoming tour of England.

After their recent 2-0 ODI series triumph over India, Sri Lanka will be keen to maintain the momentum against England. The three-match Test series will begin on August 21, and Bell will assume the role five days before the series on August 16.

"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," SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said in a statement released by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

Bell has worked extensively as a coach since bringing the curtains down on his career in 2020. Before taking up the stint as Sri Lanka's batting coach, he worked in the same role, with England men's U-19 and England Lions teams. He also served as assistant coach of Big Bash League franchise Hobart Hurricanes.

Bell also worked as the consultant batting coach at Derbyshire and assistant coach of the New Zealand men's side before last year's ODI World Cup.

In his most recent stint, Bell served as Melbourne Renegades assistant coach in BBL. He also worked in the same role, with the Birmingham Phoenix in the Men's Hundred.

England wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith, who has previously worked with Bell, praised his coaching skills.

"He's reminded me a few times that he's going to be in the opposite camp in this series," Smith told Sky Sports recently.

During his playing days, Bell enjoyed an illustrious career with the bat. The former England batter made 118 Test appearances and garnered 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69, including 22 centuries and 46 fifties.

In the ODI format, Bell played 161 matches and struck 5,416 runs for England at an average of 37.9.