Neal Abberley, batting mentor of Ian Bell at Warwickshire, dies at 67

Former county batsman joined coaching staff in 1981
'Lot of players owe him a huge debt of gratitude' - Ashley Giles
Ian Bell Neal Abberley Warwickshire
England's Ian Bell, who had been coached by Neal Abberley at Warwickshire since he was a child, will wear a black armband during the third Test against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins

Neal Abberley, one of county cricket's most influential and unsung coaches, and mentor to England's batsman Ian Bell since childhood, has died in hospital of a heart and lung condition aged 67.

Abberley, a former Warwickshire opening batsman and batting coach, lived to see Bell reach his potential as a Test batsman, most recently with his 159 in the second Test against India at Trent Bridge. He also witnessed the transformation of his beloved Edgbaston after a £32m redevelopment that has secured the ground's international future.

Warwickshire are expected to fly flags at half-mast for the third Test against India which begins on Wednesday – the first England match at the ground since the development was completed. Bell will wear a black armband.

Abberley retired as a player in 1979 after scoring more than 10,000 first-class runs. He had a modest first-class average of 24.47 and the nearest he came to international recognition was a tour of Pakistan in 1966-67 with an England Under-25 side. He suffered from ill health and had to return home early after he was struck by a beamer that fractured a finger.

He joined Warwickshire's coaching staff in 1981 and remained an influential figure at the county for the rest of his life. Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket, told "To me he was a mentor, a confidant but, most of all, a friend. We knew he was getting a little bit fragile but we didn't realise how fragile so his death has come as a shock to everyone.

"He gave his life to Warwickshire and there are a lot of players who owe a huge debt of gratitude to him. Without Neal Abberley I would not be Warwickshire's director of cricket and I would not have played 54 Tests for England. When I first met him I was an 18-year-old triallist and I was still wet behind the ears having come from living at home with mum and dad.

"He helped me to grow up. He was old school and it was a tough school at times and a steep learning curve. But Neal was a great influence on me and he set me on the road to where I am now."

Abberley was at Warwickshire's recent championship match against Sussex at Edgbaston as they pressed for their first title since 1994. They lie fourth, 15 points behind the leaders Durham with a match in hand in what could be another gripping finish to the championship season.

"I can't think of a more fitting tribute to Neal than winning the Championship," Giles said. "That puts us under a lot of pressure but his contribution, as a valuable member of the coaching team, has been immense."