Gabe Bell, the steady Tasmanian quick, will spend the first six rounds of the 2026 Rothesay County Championship in Bristol colours. The 30-year-old agreed a short contract that covers April and May – usually the months where the ball seams around most in England.
Bell’s record is tidy rather than flashy: 192 Sheffield Shield wickets in 51 matches, including 41 in the 2023-24 summer. Five games into the current Shield season he sits ninth on the wicket list with 16 scalps, form that nudged Gloucestershire into action.
At 195 cm he delivers a lively length that climbs at the batter. Australia have not capped him, though he did appear for their Under-19s back in 2013, taking five wickets in three Youth ODIs at 20.60 apiece.
His stint begins on 10 April and brings away trips to Lord’s against Middlesex and to Derbyshire, plus home fixtures with Durham, Lancashire, Kent and Northamptonshire.
“Obviously thrilled to get the opportunity to come over and play some county cricket with Gloucestershire,” Bell said. “I can’t wait to get over to Bristol to meet everyone, and get started in the new year.”
Jon Lewis, Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, added: “We are really excited about Gabe joining our championship squad at Gloucestershire. We looked hard at what it takes to win in our own conditions in April and May, and Gabe comes highly recommended from our network of contacts across Australia.
“He’s been very successful over recent Sheffield Shield seasons and is exactly the type of bowler we feel will thrive in the early part of the season in England. Gabe has played and performed consistently and has an excellent record in Australia. He’s a hardworking individual, which is exactly what we need at the start of the season.
“We’re really excited to welcome Gabe and his family to Bristol in early April.”
County insiders reckon his accuracy and bounce should dovetail nicely with the existing attack while the Dukes ball still swings and seams. Gloucestershire, consigned to Division Two last season, hope a brisk start can set the tone; Bell sees the spell as a fresh test and, just maybe, a shop window for higher honours.
