Former England batsman Ian Bell is to retire from professional cricket at the end of the season.

Bell is regarded as one of England's classiest batsmen of his generation, scoring 7,727 runs in 118 Test matches and 5,416 in 161 ODIs.

The 38-year-old last played for his country in 2015 and will call it quits at the end of the campaign with Warwickshire, where he made his debut in 1999 as a 17-year-old.

"My body simply can't keep up with the demands of the game to the standard of which I expect of myself," Bell wrote on Twitter.

"It's true when they say you know when the time's right, and unfortunately, my time is now.

"To have been part of an England Test team to reach number one in the world, to win five Ashes series, one of them as player of the series, and an away series in India is some return for a young lad who simply dreamt of batting at Edgbaston.

"Thank you to all the cricket fans for the most unbelievable support I've had throughout my career."

Toe and knee injuries meant he missed much of last season and Bell is now aiming to pursue a career in coaching.

His 13,331 international runs are the fourth highest among English batsmen, while he scored 22 international centuries.

For Warwickshire, Bell has over 20,000 first-class runs with a high score of 262 not out and almost 14,000 in limited-overs cricket.