Former England batsman Ian Bell misses out on farewell hundred for Warwickshire against Glamorgan
Only two other England batsmen - Sir Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen - scored more Test hundreds than Bell
Tuesday 8 September 2020 23:28, UK
Former England batsman Ian Bell narrowly missed out on a century in his final innings before retiring from first-class cricket.
The 38-year-old - who was the last member of England's 2005 Ashes-winning team still playing red-ball cricket - scored 90 in Warwickshire's Bob Willis Trophy match against Glamorgan at Cardiff.
Bell shared a partnership of 143 with Sam Hain before he was fourth man out, playing on to Glamorgan seamer Timm van der Gugten.
During an international career that spanned 11 years, the right-hander featured in 118 Tests and amassed 7,727 runs, including 22 centuries - a number bettered only by Sir Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen.
He made 161 ODI appearances and played in eight T20 internationals, as well as helping Warwickshire to win six domestic trophies, including two County Championship titles.
Nasser Hussain - who retired from Test cricket shortly Bell's international debut, told Sky Sports News: "I am such a saddo! I was following Bell's innings all day on Twitter praying for him to get a hundred.
"It would have been great for him to finish with a hundred but I don't think Bell will care too much.
"He scored 22 Test hundreds, was part of that No 1 side in the world under Sir Andrew Strauss and with Sir Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. He was a fabulous player.
"Cricket is also about entertaining and the way he batted - if any young boy or girl wanted a masterclass on how to bat elegantly, Bell gave us that.
"I think he will make a good coach eventually. He is a very knowledgeable player."
Bell has confirmed he plans to go into coaching post-retirement and has already worked with England Under-19s as a batting coach at the World Cup last winter.
He may also feature for Birmingham Bears in their remaining Vitality Blast fixtures this season, starting on Friday when they take on Glamorgan at Edgbaston.
