Ian Bell: England batsman retires from ODIs to focus on Tests
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
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 Englishmen have played more - and scored 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," said Bell, who says he was not pressured into a decision by England coach Trevor Bayliss or Cook.
"I would love nothing more than to go to Australia in two years' time and right the wrongs of our last Ashes tour there.
"It is the toughest place to play. I'm not afraid of being dropped, I'm looking forward to challenging myself and putting myself into difficult situations against the best players in the world."