Batsman Ian Bell has said he is determined to carry on in international cricket following talks with coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Alastair Cook as England turn their focus to the series against Pakistan in the UAE.
In the immediate aftermath of England’s Test series victory over Australia, five-times Ashes-winner Bell told BBC Radio he would “take stock” of his future.
That led to suggestions the 33-year-old was contemplating calling time on a 115-Test career that has yielded 22 hundreds in a tally of 7,569 runs.
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But Bell, writing in his Metro column published on Friday, said: "At the end of every Ashes series you're left physically and mentally drained and, as I said to Jonathan Agnew as the celebrations began at The Oval, I needed a bit of time to consider what the future holds.
“I spoke with coach Trevor Bayliss and Alastair Cook after the Oval loss, we had a really good talk and I was as honest as I could be.
“Deep down, though, I think I probably knew I wasn’t ready to call time on my England Test career.
“I still have that hunger and desire.”
Bell was not at his best during England’s recent 3-2 Ashes series win, apart from two fifties in the third Test at his Edgbaston home ground, and averaged a mere 26.87 in nine innings.
Cook, speaking after the Ashes, was adamant he wanted the experienced Bell in England’s squad for tough upcoming series away to Pakistan in the UAE and in South Africa.
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The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
