Bell became a five-time Ashes victor this summer but during an on-field interview with Test Match Special after the final game of the series, the 33-year-old indicated he would “take stock” of his future.
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He has since had “a really good talk” with coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Alastair Cook.
Bell wrote in the Metro newspaper: “The last 18 months or so since our whitewash in Australia has been as tough a period for English cricket that I can remember”.
Bell, who is one of the most experienced members in the side, has played 115 Tests and averages 43 with 22 centuries and 45 fifties.
He managed only 215 runs at an average of 26.87 in five Ashes Tests against Australia.
I have, though, decided now is the right time to officially stand down from global one-day cricket.
The 28-year-old insists he’s not vowing to ban the bottle for the rest of his career, but he does credit the decision for his current physical state, admitting that despite playing every day of Australia’s draining campaign, he feels in tip-top shape.
Watson has kept a reclusive public profile since being dropped after the first Ashes Test. Since then, he had periodically released videos documenting how he was coping being outside Australia’s first-choice team while still having to remain with the squad in England.
“When people are drunk that’s what they do but I thought it was a bit inappropriate the way he went about that stuff so I went over and tried to take it off him”.
Looking back over the series, Clarke argued that better cricket was witnessed at Cardiff and Lord’s than in the ensuring three Tests, even if Australia rebounded from their heavy losses at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge to win on a somewhat more equitable surface at the Oval.
“I look at my wife (ironwoman Candice) for an example, the 15 years she dedicated to her sport and she probably would have drunk three or four times in her career”.
He added: “I’m very excited”.
The tourists have been given little time to dwell on their 3-2 defeat in the recently-completed Investec Series as their limited-overs part of the tour begins on Thursday against Ireland.
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“Stepping completely away from the one-day side of things, however, and allowing the young guys to make their mark on the team, will allow me to focus on my goals within the Test set-up and for me to get back to playing my best red-ball cricket”.
