Ian Bell

Ian Bell

MBE
Bell in August 2015
Personal information
Full name
Ian Ronald Bell
Born (1982-04-11) 11 April 1982 (age 42)
Coventry, West Midlands, England
NicknameBelly, The Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice, Boyband, The Shermanator,[1] Thand[2]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 625)19 August 2004 v West Indies
Last Test1 November 2015 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 184)28 November 2004 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI13 March 2015 v Afghanistan
ODI shirt no.7
T20I debut (cap 17)28 August 2006 v Pakistan
Last T20I20 May 2014 v Sri Lanka
T20I shirt no.7
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1999–2020Warwickshire (squad no. 4)
1999Warwickshire Cricket Board
2016/17Perth Scorchers (squad no. 12)
2018Dhaka Dynamites (squad no. 7)
2019Islamabad 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 MBE (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsman, described in The Times as an "exquisite rapier,"[3] with a strong cover drive, Bell was also an occasional right-arm medium pace bowler and a slip fielder. He was also noted for his sharp reflexes and often fielded in close catching positions. He scored twenty-two Test centuries and four One Day International (ODI) 100s.

In the 2006 New Year Honours List, Bell was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his role in the successful Ashes campaign of 2005. In November 2006, he was awarded the Emerging Player of the Year award by the International Cricket Council. During 2008 and 2009, he was a more infrequent member of the England teams – however he reclaimed his Test place during the 2009 Ashes, which England won, and featured in several ODIs the following year. During 2010, he captained Warwickshire to victory in the CB40 final before scoring his first Ashes century the following winter as he helped England retain the Ashes down-under. Warwickshire County Cricket Club awarded Bell a benefit in 2011.

In July 2012, Bell signed a new three-year contract with Warwickshire extending his stay at the club at least till 2015.[4] In November 2015, England selectors announced that Bell would be dropped from the English side ahead of the test series with South Africa.[5] In August 2016, it was announced that Bell would be playing for the Perth Scorchers in the 2016–17 Big Bash League season.[6] In August 2018, Bell scored his 20,000th run in first-class cricket.[7] In September 2020, Bell announced his retirement, revealing that his final game for Warwickshire would be a T20 match against Glamorgan.[8]

  1. ^ "What's in a nickname?".
  2. ^ "Keep calm and celebrate like a #Prince – The story behind Islamabad United nicknames". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. ^ Westerby, John (14 June 2008). "Bell puts himself in contention for pot of gold". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  4. ^ "England batsman Ian Bell extends Warwickshire stay". BBC Sport. 3 July 2012.
  5. ^ Andrew McGlashan (19 November 2015). "Bell dropped; Compton, Ballance, Footitt called up". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Sports Media.
  6. ^ Chadwick, Justin (30 August 2016). "Perth Scorchers sign former Ashes enemy Ian Bell in Big Bash League". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Former England ace Ian Bell notches 20,000 first-class runs". International Cricket Council. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ^ Roller, Matt (5 September 2020). "Ian Bell to retire at end of 2020 season". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 April 2024.