Ian Bell Retires from ODI Cricket: Latest Details, Comment and Reaction
England's Ian Bell has announced his retirement from one-day international cricket.
News of the 33-year-old’s decision came via his column in Metro on Friday (h/t BBC Sport) in which he confirmed his intentions to focus on his Test career. "I've a huge amount still to give in the Test arena and still have so many ambitions left to achieve, both from a personal and a team perspective," he wrote.
As noted by the England Cricket Twitter account, Bell retires as England’s leading run-scorer in the ODI format:
Bell helped England to Ashes glory again this summer, the fifth time in his distinguished career he has achieved such a feat. The batsman relished the responsibility of batting at No. 3, and in a young Test side, his experience will be critical moving forward.
In limited-overs cricket, he's been a tremendous player too. Here are his full statistics from ODI matches, per CricketCountry:
His adaptability and class will be sorely missed in the limited-overs game, but there will now be an opportunity for a burgeoning player to emerge and look to fill the shoes of a departed great of English cricket.
