Bell commits to Warwickshire

Ian Bell has signed a three-year contract extension to stay at Warwickshire until at least 2015.

The dual Ashes-winning England batsman put pen to paper for his native county on the eve of the third NatWest Series match against Australia on his home ground at Edgbaston.

The 30-year-old said: "I take a great deal of pride in representing my home county, and it's fantastic to sign a new deal to continue playing for Warwickshire for the foreseeable future."

He went on: "We've got a great coaching team with strong ties to Warwickshire, one of the strongest playing squads that I've been part of, and the new facilities at Edgbaston are amongst the best in world cricket.

"I wouldn't want to play anywhere else."

Warwickshire's director of cricket Ashley Giles added: "Having been part of the Warwickshire set-up for several years, it's been fantastic to watch Belly progress from a talented youth team player to one of the best batsmen in the world.

"He trains exceptionally hard and is a great role model. We're all delighted that he's committed to playing his county cricket for Warwickshire for at least the next three years."