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[WalkingWicket37]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/34082540

Ian Bell: England batsman retires from ODIs to focus on Tests
England batsman Ian Bell says he still has the "hunger and desire" to play Test cricket after retiring from one-day internationals.

Bell, 33, hinted he could quit Tests after winning the Ashes, but has since had "a really good talk" with the coaches and captain Alastair Cook.

"Deep down I probably knew I wasn't ready to call time on my Test career," Bell wrote in the Metro. 

He is England's record ODI run-scorer,  with 5,416 runs in 161 matches.

However, the Warwickshire player was not selected in the two most recent England ODI or T20 squads.

Bell has played 115 Tests - only four Englishman have played more - scoring 7,569 runs at an average of 43 with 22 centuries.

He managed only 215 runs at an average of 26.87 in the 3-2 series win against Australia, a record-equalling fifth Ashes triumph for an Englishman.

"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 said.

"I would love nothing more than to go to Australia in two years' time and right the wrongs of our last Ashes tour there."

[Vitas Cricket]

Good to hear he's still hungry for Test success, but for me, the wrongs of that 5-0 drubbing can never be put right.

[wasted_talent]

his odi contribution was not very good tbh
i think he always under achieved as an ODI batsmen, similarly to how Younis Khan also struggled in that format
hardly a loss to Eng, as they have taken a new direction anyway

[petehosk]

Class and technical ability will always come back (as they say, form is temporary) so I expect Bell to have a few more amazing spells in Tests!
I think he is one of the best batsmen to watch when he is on form and in full flow!!

[SLC]

Wasn't in the odi or t20 squad anyway!

[Buzz]

Good to hear he's still hungry for Test success, but for me, the wrongs of that 5-0 drubbing can never be put right.

Which one?

The only person who splits opinion as much as the person he is likely to overtake as England's all time leading run scorer.

[Vitas Cricket]

Which one?

The only person who splits opinion as much as the person he is likely to overtake as England's all time leading run scorer.

True, the most recent one sticks in the mind more, not through anything Ian did specifically, other than not offering much with the bat of course.

Very much a splitter of opinion, the Bell lovers tend to come crawling out the woodwork when he elegantly puts together a nice innings in a dead rubber. I do like him, nice to watch, and i want him to do well, but theres always something i can't put my finger on.

[Buzz]

I think it is the number of very much playable balls he gets out to that he makes look totally unplayable. He does get bowled a lot for a top player - much like Dravid ironically enough.

His record says he is a decent player. When he was batting with KP he was a very decent player. Only once the leader England needed with the bat. Still he has a the winter to prove everyone wrong!!

[Akewstick]

Very much a splitter of opinion, the Bell lovers tend to come crawling out the woodwork when he elegantly puts together a nice innings in a dead rubber.

I keep reading this. Am I the only person who watched the 2013 ashes? I'm sure it was on telly and stuff.

[ppccopener]

Bell will only really be appreciated when he finally hangs up his bat from tests too-he's one of those players that makes it look so easy.has he scored really tough runs when we needed it? Sometimes he has,maybe not enough but hes still an excellent player
England prob dont want too many snr players retiring at once after kp strauss trott etc so maybe another couple of years in tests
We have struggled with top order players since strauss went.
He wasnt in the odi side recently thou,we have moved on with younger guys

[ppccopener]

I keep reading this. Am I the only person who watched the 2013 ashes? I'm sure it was on telly and stuff.

Nope...he was class.good thing about this forum is differing views!!

[Vitas Cricket]

I keep reading this. Am I the only person who watched the 2013 ashes? I'm sure it was on telly and stuff.

Yes I enjoyed 2013 watching his success and as i said i want him to do well. But when you look at the number of times a dead rubber innings has saved him and compare it to the harsh treatment of Compton/Carberry/Robson/Ballance/Lyth etc etc it creates a discussion point.

[ppccopener]

I think you mean he's been a selectors favourite
You def have a point with those players listed-they could of stuck with them longer
Lyth we dont know-real shame he couldnt get going

[Ams4287]

All good points - the announcement is more to say I'm not retiring from tests and please stop the speculation as let's face it he was retired from the ODI setup after the World Cup

[Manormanic]

Yes I enjoyed 2013 watching his success and as i said i want him to do well. But when you look at the number of times a dead rubber innings has saved him and compare it to the harsh treatment of Compton/Carberry/Robson/Ballance/Lyth etc etc it creates a discussion point.

Balance especially.  Though I think that was a common sense decision giving him the chance to come again.