Ian Bell, a former England player, was named Sri Lanka’s batting coach on Tuesday ahead of the three-match Test series against England.
Sri Lanka Cricket stated the 42-year-old former right-hand hitter was engaged to rely on his 118 Test appearances for England.
“We appointed Ian to bring in a person with local knowledge to help the players with key insights into the conditions there,” Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said.
“We believe his inputs will help our team in this crucial tour.”
Last month, Sri Lanka recruited former captain Sanath Jayasuriya to replace head coach Chris Silverwood, who resigned after the country’s early elimination from the T20 World Cup.
Jayasuriya, 55, will serve as the national team’s “interim” coach until a full-time appointment is confirmed.Sri Lanka won only one match in the T20 World Cup campaign, against the Netherlands, and placed third in their group, trailing South Africa and Bangladesh.
Silverwood took over in April 2022 and was immediately successful when Sri Lanka won the T20 Asia Cup that year.Sri Lanka then advanced to the final of the 50-over Asia Cup in 2023.
They did not, however, advance to the knockout stages of either the 2022 T20 World Cup or last year’s 50-over World Cup.
