Sri Lanka have named Ian Bell as the batting coach for the upcoming Test series against England.

Sri Lanka have named Ian Bell as the batting coach for the upcoming Test series against England.

The three-match series will begin on August 21 with the three games scheduled to be held at Old Trafford, Lord’s and Oval, respectively.

Bell, who played for England from 2004 to 2015, is widely regarded as one of the greats of the country, making 7,727 runs in 118 Tests at an average of 42.69, including 22 hundreds.

He will join Sri Lanka as the batting coach ahead of the series against his former team. Bell will link up with the visitors on August 16 and remain with them until the conclusion of the series, on September 6.

Bell’s recent role latest in a long line of coaching jobs

Bell, who had revealed his interest in becoming the head coach of a side “not because I am an ex-player but because I am ready” has been associated with several teams in the recent past.

 

 

In 2021, a year after retiring from all formats, Bell became the assistant coach of the Big Bash League team Hobart Hurricanes. In April 2022, he joined the county side Derbyshire as a consultant batting coach and later that year, was a part of the Lions’ coaching staff to train the young batters from across the country.

Before the ODI World Cup last year, Bell was a member of New Zealand’s coaching team for the series against England and Bangladesh. Last year, he also joined Melbourne Renegades as an assistant coach in the BBL.

During the ongoing Hundred, Bell is working closely with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for the Birmingham Phoenix. "He's reminded me a few times that he's going to be in the opposite camp in this series," Smith told Sky Sports on Monday.

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