Bell calls time on ODI career
While Ian Bell still feels he has much to give the England Test team, he has ended his one-day international career.
England batsman Ian Bell has announced his retirement from one-day international cricket.
The 33-year-old revealed he would assess his England future following the 3-2 Ashes triumph over Australia, having struggled with the bat.
Bell has opted to continue in the Test arena, stating that he still had the "hunger and desire" to be a part of England's five-day plans.
However, that decision has come at the expense of his ODI career. Bell had not featured in a 50-over match for England since the Cricket World Cup back in March but retires as his country's leading run-scorer in the format with 5,416 one-day runs.
"To sit here now as a five-time Ashes winner with the urn safely back in our hands is an amazing feeling, and something I struggle to put into words," Bell wrote in his column in The Metro.
"But it's taken a hell of a lot out of me, that's for sure.
"For that reason I've decided now is the right time to officially stand down from international one-day cricket and put all my focus and attention on my Test career.
"I'll say it now, I would love nothing more than to go to Australia in two years' time and right the wrongs of our last Ashes tour there.
"I've also been asked if I would like to become the first ever English six-time Ashes winner and the answer is yes, absolutely. If I'm playing well and feeling fit, that is without doubt my goal."