One of the most prolific batsmen to have played for England, Ian Bell announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Saturday (September 5). The 38-year-old took to his official Twitter page and made the major announcement. Bell said that he's not able to keep up with the game and thus, decided to hang up his boots. "My body simply can't keep up with the demands of the game to the standard of which I expect of myself," Bell said. "It's true when they say you know when the time's right, and unfortunately, my time is now," he added. 235 vs India and Some Other Spectacular Test Knocks by Ian Bell.

Making his international debut for England way back in August 2004, Bell burst onto the scenes with his fantastic stroke play and didn't take long in cementing his place in the national team. Bell scored 7727 runs in 118 Tests for the Three Lions while in ODIs, he scored 5416 runs in 160 games. During the course of his career, Bell also smashed 26 staggering centuries. The former right-handed batsman also expressed his delight of representing England for such a long time. "To have been part of an England Test team to reach number one in the world, to win five Ashes series, one of them as player of the series, and an away series in India is some return for a young lad who simply dreamt of batting at Edgbaston," Bell opined.

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The talismanic batsman played his last international match in 2015 but continued to showcase his blitzes for Warwickshire in county cricket. His performances, however, have been underwhelming lately which also might be a factor behind his decision. Nevertheless, Bell still desires to serve England cricket by donning the coach's hat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2020 09:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).