Sri Lanka appoint Ian Bell as batting coach for England tour

Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former English cricketer Ian Bell as the batting coach for the upcoming tour to England.

Bell will start working with the team on August 16 and remain until the conclusion of the three-test match series, the SLC stated.

"We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there. Ian has a lot of experience playing in England, and we believe his input will help our team in this crucial tour,” said Ashley De Silva, CEO of SLC.

The former England batter Bell has played in 118 test matches and scored 7727 runs at an average of 42.69. Bell also has 22 test centuries under his belt.

The three-match Test series between Sri Lanka and England, will be played from August 21 to September 10. The first Test will be played from August 21 to 25 in Manchester.

This series is important for both teams regarding the World Test Championships 2023-25. Sri Lanka (50 PCT) are placed fourth in the WTC standings, while England (36.54 PCT) are positioned sixth.