Ian Bell to join Sri Lanka’s support staff ahead of England Tests: Reports

Ian Bell is set to join Sri Lanka's support staff ahead of the team's three-match Test series against England, starting August 21 with the first Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. As per Newswire, a Lankan website, Bell, a former England batting superstar, will join the Lankan bandwagon at the request of the team’s interim head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya.

Bell, who has played 118 Tests and 161 ODIs for the English side, has been roped in primarily to help the Lankan batters understand the conditions more nuancedly. This series is important for both teams regarding the World Test Championships 2023-25. 

While England cannot afford to lose even a single game, a whitewash would dampen Lanka’s chances of qualification for a place in the tournament's final. At the moment, England are placed sixth on the WTC 2023-25 points table with 36.54 percentage points while Sri Lanka are on fourth with 50 PCT. 

Earlier, ahead of the start of the series, the Lankan team showed apprehensions regarding the tour as racial riots gripped most of the English nation in the last week of August 2024. 

Sri Lanka are coming on the back of a brilliant ODI series win against India at home while the English team thrashed the West Indies 3-0 in a Test series in July 2024.

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