LONDON    -   England batsman Ian Bell, who played his last international game in 2015, will retire from all professional cricket formats at the end of the 2020 summer. “It’s true when they say you know when the time’s right, and unfortunately, my time is now,” he said in a statement. “While my hunger and enthusiasm for the sport that I love remain as strong as ever, my body simply can’t keep up with the demands of the game to the standard of which I expect of myself.” Bell, who made his debut in 2004, enjoyed a span of 11 years as an England player, during which he won five Ashes series out of seven. He was the Player of the Series in the 2013 series, where he scored 562 runs at an average of 62.44. Bell enjoyed a great run in ODI cricket too. With 5416 runs he was England’s leading run-getter in the format until current captain Eoin Morgan overtook him in 2018. Bell remains third on the list of England’s most prolific run-scorers in the 50-over format. The stylish batsman, regarded as possessing one of the most elegant cover drives in the game, will play for Warwickshire in the final round of the Bob Willis Trophy, starting 6 Sept and will sign off playing their final T20 Blast fixture.