Former England batsman Ian Bell retires

LONDON: Former England batsman Ian Bell on Saturday announced retirement from professional cricket.

The batsman said that he would be playing his final red-ball game Warwickshire on Sunday, and his last T20 match for the county will be played next week.

"It's with enormous sadness, but with equal pride, that I am announcing my retirement from professional cricket. Tomorrow will be my final red ball game and next week I'll play my final T20 match. It's true when they say you know when the time's right, and unfortunately, my time is now," Bell said in a post on Twitter.

"While my hunger and enthusiasm for the sport I love remain as strong as ever, my body simply can't keep up with the demands of the game to the standard of which I expect from myself. It's been an absolute privilege and honour to fulfill my boyhood dream of playing for both England and Warwickshire. As a child, to play just once for either would have been enough for me, but to do so for the past 22 years is more than I could have ever wished for," he added.

Bell played 118 Tests, 161 ODIs, and 8 T20Is for England.

He scored 7,727 runs in the longest format of the game at an average of 42.69, while he registered 5,416 runs in the 50-over format for the Three Lions.

After scoring more than 20,000 runs in first-class cricket which included 57 centuries, Bell added that he now plans to move into coaching after his retirement.Agencies

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