Biography of Ian Bell:- Ian Bellis an English professional batsman who was born on 11 April 1982 in England, Bell is a right-handed batsman and an occasional right-arm medium fast bowler.
Bell is the Member of the Order of British Empire and plays for Warwickshire in County Leagues. Ian Bell is also associated with a club of players of Centurions that have scored a century against every Test playing nation excluding Zimbabwe.
Bell is currently not a part of England’s plan for the next 4 years. He still plays in Big Bash and County Cricket. Ian Ronald Bell is a fine slip fielder and a specialist middle order batsman.
After the Ashes 2015, Bell became the second player to feature in 5 Ashes wins after the legendary English batsman Ian Botham. The year 2006 was the best year for Bell, he was awarded emerging player of the year award in 2006 for his role in Ashes 2005 and the season later on.
Biography of Ian Bell
- Born:- 11 April 1982 (age 35), Walsgrave
- Height:- 1.78 m
- Spouse:- Chantal Louise Bastock (m. 2011)
- Test Debut:- 19 August 2004 v West Indies
- ODI Debut:- 28 November 2004 v Zimbabwe
- Last ODI:- 13 March 2015 v Afghanistan
Ian Bell, once named as the exquisite rapier by The Times magazine started playing cricket at the age 12. Princethorpe College XI was his first team.
He is an active football player and supporter too. Ian Bell supported Aston Villa when he was a kid. Bell first performed on a bigger platform in 1998 playing for Warwickshire second team.
In the same year, Ian Bell was part of theUnder-19 team that toured New Zealand in the same year. It was a turning moment of Bell’s life, he was brilliant throughout the tour, and two years later in 2000, Ian Bell was captaining England Under-19 side in Sri Lanka.
In 2001, Warwickshire hired Ian Bell for the upcoming season that was a magnificent first-class start. He made three centuries in the season at the age 19, became the youngest capped player for the club and youngest centurion.
ECB included Ian Bell as part of their five-year plan, Bell joined the national academy in 2001. In 2002, Ian Bell won Gold Award in Benson and Hedges Cup for his back-to-back brilliance in the final matches of the tournament. In 2004 County season,
Bell scored his career-best inning of 262 not out against Sussex CC, he became the youngest double centurion for Warwickshire, that inning caught the attention of English selectors for his inclusion in the Test squad. Ian Bell played his first Test at Oval against West Indies and made 70 in his first inning batting at middle order.
Bell was included for the Zimbabwe tour, he made ODI debut and made 75 runs on his ODI debut and a man of the match award alongside. At the end of series, Bell had a healthy average of 40.75.
Ashes 2005 and Onwards
Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen made their Ashes debut for their previous ODI knocks. Bell, however, failed and struggled against spin and pace of Aussies.
His average at the end of 5-match series just touched 17 per inning including a couple of half-centuries made in the third test. In the next year, England toured sub-continent to play against India and Pakistan.
In the test series against Pakistan, Bell was a replacement for injured Vaughan, he utilized it to the fullest scoring a century and two dominant half-centuries becoming the top-scorer for England in the series average above 50 runs per inning.
In the next tour to India, Bell was completely flopped against Indian bowling and ended the tour with an average below 22.
In 2006, having a good track record against Pakistan, Ian Bell was part of the 15-man squad against touring Pakistan team for the number-5 place.
This time again, Bell was a replacement for Andrew Flintoff. In a controversial test series, Ian Bell registered a ton in every test match and finished the series with an average above 93 in three games.
After the incomplete Pakistan series that ended in a controversy, England was looking strong with the present squad for the Champions Trophy 2006.
In three Champions Trophy matches, Ian Bell averaged 32.33, but England was out of the tournament with two losses out of three matches.
In the Ashes 2006-07, Bell was included for his consistency at number-6 in lower middle order. Bell made four fifties in the Ashes with an average above 33 per inning but suffered a humiliating white wash of 5-0 against Australia.
ICC World Cup 2007-2011
Ian Bell was included in the squad for the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007. Along with the team, Bell could not produce a single knock in all the tournament matches, his 77 runs against Australia were in the losing cause.
England was knocked out of the tournament as they finished fifth at the end of the tournament. Later in August 2007, Ian Bell finally scored his first ton in ODIs against India, in a 7-match series that was won by England. Bell averaged 70 and was given Man of the Series award.
In 2008, Bell did not have a good batting form, his only good batting inning was the third match of the ODI series against New Zealand when he scored 73 runs. In the test series, Bell was good in the final test.
Ian Bell, along with Andrew Strauss made a comprehensive 187-run partnership that included a century Bell. After the inning, Bell became the youngest Englishman to reach 2500 runs in test. He finished the series with an average of 50.
In Ashes 2009, Bell came back to Test squad after KP was injured before the third match. He made a comeback fifty in the third Test and followed it by a low-scoring test. After the unsuccessful matches, Bell returned to county cricket and knocked a hundred.
He was called again in the final test, Bell made 72 and England won that game ending the series with a victory. In Ashes 2010-11, Bell was reconsidered to bat at number 4 or 5. In the fifth Test of the series, Bell finally made a century, his first one in Ashes.
England was eventual winners of Ashes 2010-11, their first Ashes victory on Australian soil since Ashes 1986. In another unsuccessful World Cup campaign in 2011, Bell scored 69 in a crucial tie match between England and India in World Cup 2011. England was out of the tournament in Quarterfinals.
Ashes 2013 to Present
Australia won Ashes 2013 by a5-0 margin, Ian Bell made two half-centuries in the whole series. In the ODI series that followed, Bell scored 41, 68, 29, 55, and 14 in the five matches respectively. He was run-out two times in the series, and England lost One Day series by 4-1 at the end.
Ian Bell was included in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka and India in 2015, the Sri Lanka tour was lost by England, but Bell’s contribution was neat and acceptable.
Against India, Bell was poor as always against Indian bowlers on Indian pitches. He scored a century after much criticism for his role in test team in the third test. In the fourth test, Bell made a fifty and England won the match leading the series and eventually winning from 0-1 to 3-1.
In Ashes 2015, England won the first test, Bell made 60 in the second innings. In the third Test, Ian Bell scored two fifties in two innings helping his team win the third test match comprehensively.
England won the five-match series 3-2. In the same year, Ian Bell retired from ODI cricket and will continue with the test format.
Ian Bell Stats and Records
In 118 test matches, Ian Bell has scored 7727 runs, 22 centuries and 46 half centuries. He has a batting average of 42.69 with the highest score of 235.
In ODI format, Bell scored 5416 runs in 161 games averaging 37.48 per inning with 4 centuries and 35 fifties. He has a top score of 141.
In 278 first-class matches for Warwickshire, Ian Bell amassed 18,500 and counting, with a batting average of 44.36, 55 hundred and 96 half-centuries, the highest score of 262 not out. Ian Bell also plays for Perth Scorchers, he was part of a2016-17 season of BBL.
Ian Bell Family
Ian Bell hails from Walsgrave, England; Bell married Chantal Louise Bastock in 2011. In Pride of the Britain Awards in October 2013 in London, David Lloyd described Chantal as “A Star of a Missus.”
The couple dated for 2-3 years before marriage. They have a son Joseph William Bell who was born in 2012 when he was busy playing test series against India.
After the marriage, the couple spent a month in Maldives as part of their honeymoon plan. It was reported by English Media that the couple spent the quality time on Velassaru beach in Maldives. The marriage ceremony took place in Leamington, Warwickshire that included close friends and family.
It was reported by some sources that after retirement from ODI cricket, the autobiography of Ian Bell is underway and is being written for two years and it will be published after Ian Bell retires from Test format.
