Bell stands down as Warwickshire captain

IAN Bell has stood down as Warwickshire captain in an effort to revive his faltering batting form.

Bell was widely tipped to take the County Championship by storm after taking the reins at the start of the 2016 season, having been dropped from England's Test side the previous winter.

But the anticipated mountain of runs failed to materialise and he is averaging a lowly 24.64 this year, with Warwickshire battling to avoid relegation from Division One.

The 35-year-old, who led Warwickshire to Royal London One-Day Cup glory last year, will be succeeded by Jonathan Trott for the remaining five championship matches while Grant Elliott will lead Birmingham Bears in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Bell said: "It's been an absolute honour to lead my home county over the last 18 months and my decision to stand down is something that I have thought long and hard about over a period of weeks.

"This is the right time for me to stand down as captain, to focus on my batting and scoring runs, which will be the best thing for the team.

"As a senior player, I will support the team in all ways possible and I believe that our squad has very exciting times ahead."

Warwickshire's sports director Ashley Giles said: "It's very brave of Ian to make this decision, but one that we fully respect.

"Having him focused solely on scoring runs for Warwickshire and Birmingham Bears is a huge asset to the club.

"The team has gone through a transformation period and Ian has been instrumental during this time, leading the team to a trophy at the end of 2016 and helping bring through several of our younger players in recent months, during a difficult period."