Ian Bell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ian Bell

Bell in August 2015
Personal information
Full name	Ian Ronald Bell
Born	(1982-04-11) 11 April 1982 (age 43) Coventry, West Midlands, England
Nickname	Belly, The Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice, Boyband, The Shermanator, Thand
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	England (2004–2015)
Test debut (cap 625)	19 August 2004 v West Indies
Last Test	1 November 2015 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 184)	28 November 2004 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI	13 March 2015 v Afghanistan
ODI shirt no.	7
T20I debut (cap 17)	28 August 2006 v Pakistan
Last T20I	20 May 2014 v Sri Lanka
T20I shirt no.	7
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999–2020	Warwickshire (squad no. 4)
1999	Warwickshire Cricket Board
2016/17	Perth Scorchers (squad no. 12)
2018	Dhaka Dynamites (squad no. 7)
2019	Islamabad United
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 118 161 312 318 Runs scored 7,727 5,416 20,440 11,130 Batting average 42.69 37.87 43.58 41.22 100s/50s 22/46 4/35 57/105 13/79 Top score 235 141 262* 158 Balls bowled 108 88 2,875 1,290 Wickets 1 6 47 33 Bowling average 76.00 14.66 34.36 34.48 5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 1/33 3/9 4/4 5/41 Catches/stumpings 100/– 54/– 238/– 109/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 September 2020

Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is a former English cricket player. He played for the England cricket team in all types of international matches. He also played county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

Bell was a right-handed batsman, known for his strong hitting. He was also a good fielder who could catch the ball well. He scored 22 centuries in Test cricket and four centuries in One Day International (ODI) matches.

In 2005, Bell was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This was for his part in England winning The Ashes cricket series that year. In 2006, he was named the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

Bell helped England win the Ashes again in 2009 and 2010-11. He also led Warwickshire to win the CB40 final in 2010. In 2011, Warwickshire held a special "benefit season" for him.

In 2018, Bell reached a big milestone by scoring his 20,000th run in first-class cricket. He announced his retirement from cricket in September 2020. His last game for Warwickshire was a T20 match against Glamorgan.

Early Life and School

Ian Bell's family came from Dunchurch, a village near Rugby. He started playing cricket at his local club when he was young. Bell went to Princethorpe College, a private school. He was so good that he made the school's main team in year 7.

He also played football for Coventry City's youth team, even though he supported Aston Villa. Bell also played for Coventry and North Warwickshire Cricket Club. His younger brother, Keith, also played amateur cricket.

Starting His Cricket Career

Bell played for Warwickshire's second team in 1998. He then played for the England Under-19 cricket team in New Zealand. He scored 91 and 115 runs in two matches. People often compared him to former England captain Mike Atherton. Bell even captained the Under-19 team in some series.

In September 1999, Bell played his first first-class cricket match for Warwickshire. He didn't score any runs in that game. He then played for England A in 2000-01.

In 2001, Bell became a regular player for Warwickshire. He scored 836 runs and three centuries. He became the youngest player to score a century for the county at 19 years old. Warwickshire gave him a county cap, making him their youngest capped player ever.

Bell was chosen for the first group of players at the ECB National Academy in Australia. When he returned, he was called up to the main England Test squad for a tour of New Zealand.

In 2002, Bell helped Warwickshire win the Benson & Hedges Cup. He was the top scorer in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final. He won the Gold Award in the final match.

Bell had a great season in 2004. He scored 1498 runs in the Championship, including six centuries. One of these was his highest score, 262 not out. This made him Warwickshire's youngest player to score a double-century. His excellent form led to him joining the England Test squad.

Playing for England

First Matches (2004-2005)

Ian Bell made his international debut in a Test match against the West Indies in 2004. He scored 70 runs in his first innings. England won the match easily.

He then played his first One Day International (ODI) match against Zimbabwe in 2004. He scored 75 runs and won his first man-of-the-match award.

In 2005, Bell had a fantastic start to the season. He scored 480 runs in April, breaking a record. He was called back to the England team for a series against Bangladesh. He scored 65 not out and then 162 not out. He was the first Englishman since 1935 to score over 100 runs before lunch in a Test match.

Bell was chosen for the 2005 Ashes series against Australia. He struggled in some matches but scored two half-centuries in the third Test. England won the Ashes, which was a huge achievement.

Playing in Pakistan and India (2005-2006)

After the Ashes, Bell went on a tour to Pakistan. He scored a century and two half-centuries, becoming England's top scorer in the series. He even took his only Test wicket in this series.

His good form continued in India. However, he struggled in the Test series against India, scoring only 131 runs in six innings.

Success Against Sri Lanka and Pakistan (2006)

Bell was dropped from the England Test team for a short time. But he was recalled for the series against Pakistan. He scored a century in each of the first three Tests. This made him the first Englishman since Graham Gooch to do this. He ended the series with a high average of 93.75 runs.

He also played well in the ODI series against Pakistan. He scored his highest scores at the time: 88 and 86 not out.

World Cup and More Success (2007)

Bell was part of England's team for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. England had a tough tournament. Bell's scores were not very high, and he was even dropped for the last match.

Later in 2007, Bell scored his fourth Test century against the West Indies at Lord's. He then scored his first ODI century against India, making 126 runs. He continued to play well and was named Man of the Series.

Challenges and Comebacks (2007-2009)

Bell struggled with his batting form in some series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. However, he scored his seventh Test century in New Zealand, helping England secure a draw. He also became the second youngest England player to reach 2,500 Test runs.

In 2008, Bell scored 199 runs against South Africa, just one run short of a double century. He was the first Englishman to be dismissed on 199. After this, he had a period where his scores were not as high. He was even dropped from the team for a while.

The Ashes Return (2009)

Bell worked hard and scored many runs in county cricket. He was called back to the England team for the 2009 Ashes series. He scored 53 runs in his first match back.

In the final Test at The Oval, Bell scored 72 runs. This helped England win the match and the series 2–1. England won back the Ashes!

Strong Batting (2009-2011)

Bell's batting improved a lot from late 2009. He scored 141 runs in a Test match against South Africa. He then scored his 10th Test century against Bangladesh, making 138 runs.

In the 2010-11 Ashes series in Australia, Bell had a regular spot in the team. He scored his first Ashes century in the fifth Test in Sydney. He helped England win the series 3–1, which was their first Ashes win in Australia since 1986-87.

Ian Bell fielding during a Test against Sri Lanka in 2011

World Cup and India Series (2011)

Bell played in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. In one match against India, he scored 69 runs. The game ended in a tie.

In the summer of 2011, Bell was a key player when England beat India 4–0 in a Test series. England became the number one Test team in the world. In this series, Bell scored his first double century, making 235 runs. The Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, won an award for good sportsmanship after an incident involving Bell's run-out.

Later Career (2012-2015)

In 2012, England struggled against Pakistan in the UAE. Bell found it hard to score runs against their spin bowlers. He then played against Sri Lanka and the West Indies, showing better form in England. He scored his second ODI century against the West Indies.

Bell scores a century during the 2013 Lord's Test.

In the 2012-13 series in India, Bell scored an unbeaten century in the fourth Test. This helped England draw the match and win the series 2–1.

The 2013 Ashes

Bell had an amazing 2013 Ashes series at home. In the first Test, he scored 109 runs in the second innings, helping England win. In the second Test at Lord's, he scored another 109 runs, his 19th Test century. This was his third Ashes century in a row. He was named the man of the series.

Final Years (2013-2015)

The 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia was tough for England, who lost 5–0. Bell scored two half-centuries but no hundreds.

In 2014, Bell played well in some ODI matches against Sri Lanka and India. He scored a century against India, making 167 runs. This was his 21st Test century.

In 2015, Bell played in a Tri-Series against Australia and India. He scored 88 not out and then 141 runs against Australia.

He also played in the 2015 Ashes series at home. He scored 60 runs in the first Test and two half-centuries in the third Test. England won the series 3–2. After this, Ian Bell announced he was retiring from ODI cricket to focus on Test matches.

His last Test series was against Pakistan in 2015. He scored 63 runs in the first Test but struggled in the next two matches. England lost the series.

Retirement

On September 6, 2020, Ian Bell announced that he would retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2020 summer season.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Bell started coaching. He has worked with teams like Derbyshire, New Zealand, and England's Under-19s. He has also coached in different cricket leagues around the world.

In August 2024, he became the batting coach for the Sri Lankan cricket team for their Test series in England.

Images for kids

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  An innings-by-innings breakdown of Bell's Test match batting career, current as at 22 January 2012, showing runs scored (blue and orange bars) and his career batting average (red line).

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  Bars show individual innings in Bell's Test career, with a ten innings moving average shown as a red line – note the substantial increase over the two-year period from the end of 2009.

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  An innings-by-innings breakdown of Bell's ODI batting career, current as at 23 January 2012, showing runs scored (blue and orange bars) and his career batting average (red line).

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  An alternative image showing a 10 innings moving average.

See also

• List of international cricket centuries by Ian Bell