“We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights on the conditions there,” the SLC stated in a statement.
For their next tour of England, Sri Lanka has engaged former England batsman Ian Bell as their batting coach. Bell will take on his duties on August 16 and it will remain in place until the completion of the series as Sri Lanka prepares to play three Test matches beginning on August 21.
“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 inputs will help our team in this crucial tour,” Ashley De Silva, CEO of SLC, stated.
Bell has been a busy coach ever since he retired in 2020. Prior to the 2023 ODI World Cup, he served as the assistant coach of the New Zealand men’s squad, consultant batting coach at Derbyshire, assistant coach of the England men’s U-19 and England Lions teams, and assistant coach at the Hobart Hurricanes. He most recently served as the BBL’s assistant coach for the Melbourne Renegades and as the Men’s Hundred team’s assistant coach for Birmingham Phoenix.
Before Monday night’s game, England batter Jamie Smith, who works with Bell at Phoenix, told Sky Sports, “He’s reminded me a few times that he’s going to be in the opposite camp in this series.” Bell’s experience will hopefully help Sri Lanka win their first Test series in England since 2014.
Dhananjaya de Silva is expected to captain Sri Lanka’s lineup, which was revealed last week for the Test match against England. The three Test matches are scheduled for the Oval (September 6–10), Lord’s (August 29–September 2), and Manchester (August 21–25).
