Sri Lanka appoint Ian Bell as batting coach ahead of England Test tour
Sri Lanka is currently ranked fourth on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with a 50% win rate, while England is in sixth place with a 36.54% win rate.
Ian Bell, a former England cricketer who played from 2004 to 2015, has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s coach for their upcoming Test series in England. Bell, 42, played 118 Tests for England, scoring 7,727 runs, including 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries.
Bell’s coaching role with Sri Lanka will start on August 16 and will last until the end of the Test series. Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, explained the choice, saying, “We appointed Ian to bring in someone with local knowledge to help our players understand the conditions in England. Ian’s experience playing there will be valuable for our team during this important tour.”
Sri Lanka Squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vice-captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake
England Squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Series Schedule:
- First Test: Old Trafford, August 21-25
- Second Test: Lord’s, August 29-September 2
- Third Test: The Oval, September 6-10
