• England

Bell ruled out of final ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff
September 3, 2014
Ian Bell's international season is over after he picked up a fractured toe © Getty Images
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Ian Bell has been ruled out of the final one-day international against India at Headingley with the fractured toe he sustained in the warm-up to the fourth game at Edgbaston.

Alastair Cook confirmed that Bell would have retained his place in the side at Edgbaston had it not been for the injury which was caused when he was batting in the nets. Gary Ballance took his place at No.3 and Bell's absence for the final match means it is likely he will earn another chance on his homeground. There will be no replacement called into the squad.

Bell, therefore, finishes the season with 226 runs in eight ODIs with two half-centuries, which currently makes him England's second-highest scorer in a format where they have struggled losing both series against Sri Lanka and India. He had already been dropped from the Twenty20 squad for Sunday's fixture after a brief recall earlier in the season against Sri Lanka.

He began the summer opening the batting in ODIs, continuing a settled pairing with Cook, but moved down to No.3 against India after the call-up of Alex Hales.

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