Latest news with #GaryBallance
Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
England enter huge era in good health and looking to reconnect with fans
What a curious relationship English cricket has had with Zimbabwe. It is a country that has provided England with two fine batsmen — Gary Ballance and Graeme Hick; two exceptional coaches — Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower; and gave one England captain, Nasser Hussain, the most anxious moments of his career in the World Cup of 2003, the year since which the two countries have been estranged from each other in Test cricket, a gap of 22 years. You have to go back to Jimmy Anderson's debut series, and an England team that included the managing director, Rob Key, and other leading present coaching lights of the county game, Richard Johnson and Anthony McGrath, for when Zimbabwe last played Test cricket here. Hussain was in
Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Zimbabwe should be formality but defining era for England starts now
What a curious relationship English cricket has had with Zimbabwe. It is a country that has provided England with two fine batsmen — Gary Ballance and Graeme Hick; two exceptional coaches — Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower; and gave one England captain, Nasser Hussain, the most anxious moments of his career in the World Cup of 2003, the year since which the two countries have been estranged from each other in Test cricket, a gap of 22 years. You have to go back to Jimmy Anderson's debut series, and an England team that included the managing director, Rob Key, and other leading present coaching lights of the county game, Richard Johnson and Anthony McGrath, for when Zimbabwe last played Test cricket here. Hussain was in
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
English cricket cancelled Gary Ballance but Zimbabwe has embraced him
Gary Ballance will be a familiar face on the balcony at Trent Bridge this week, returning as Zimbabwe's assistant coach to the scene of his last Test for England in 2017. It is almost four years since Ballance last played for Yorkshire in September 2021. He was then released from his contract two years early in December 2023 at his own request in order to find a 'fresh start'. Implicated heavily in the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, Ballance arguably lost more than any of the accused in that whole saga. He admitted to using racist language as part of what he said were friendly exchanges between the pair and apologised to Rafiq in person. Ballance was eventually given a six-match ban and £3,000 fine by the Cricket Disciplinary Commission. By then he had already given up a lucrative county career at Yorkshire, and decided he had no future in England. In effect, English cricket had cancelled him. He was left broken, mentally exhausted by it all and felt he had to return to his home country to rebuild a shattered life. Century on Zimbabwe Test debut for Gary Ballance 💪 Watch #ZIMvWI live and FREE on (in select regions) 📺 📝 Scorecard: | 📸: @ZimCricketv — ICC (@ICC) February 7, 2023 In Zimbabwe, he was soon persuaded to return to playing and proved he was still good enough. In his only Test match for the country, in February 2023, he scored 137 not out in Bulawayo against a West Indies attack featuring Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder. It made him only the second cricketer after Kepler Wessels to score a Test hundred for two different countries. But it did not last. Two months later he retired. 'I have reached the stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigours of professional sport and this would do Zimbabwe cricket and the game itself a disservice, should I carry on,' he said. Ballance has not spoken publicly about the toll the Yorkshire affair had on him but others have been open. Michael Vaughan told Telegraph Sport last year how he is managing a stress-induced inflammatory illness caused by the scandal. Matthew Hoggard revealed recently his fears his wife would take her life as the racism scandal engulfed him. John Blain admitted he had suicidal thoughts as well. Rafiq, too, moved away after receiving death threats following his appearance at a DCMS government hearing in which he accused cricket of being institutionally racist and said Ballance's racial language had left him feeling 'isolated and humiliated'. Ballance's England career was already over by then. For a while he was a solid, consistent run-scorer at No 3. He finished his career with a Test career average just above 40 from 24 matches. He was the third-fastest England batsman to 1,000 Test runs, taking 17 innings, and scored four hundreds before his deep-in-the-crease technique was exposed by the pace of Australia and South Africa. Considering his experience of English conditions, you could make a strong argument that of all the Zimbabweans at Trent Bridge this week, he would be the most likely to score a hundred in their first Test match in England for two decades. At 35, he could easily still be playing for Yorkshire, churning out a thousand championship runs a season and earning a good living as a consistent, reliable batsman available all summer. He is younger than Adam Lyth, still opening for Yorkshire, the same age as Jonny Bairstow and just 11 months older than Joe Root. Instead he is rebuilding his life as a coach, and given his experiences over the past few years he will be able to offer young players valuable life lessons, aside from the technicalities of batting. He is said to relish coaching and few in English cricket will begrudge him a second chance, that 'fresh start' he had to leave this country to find. Ballance will find friendly faces in the England dressing room. He was a housemate of Root's for a while and close to Ben Stokes. Harry Brook was a Yorkshire team-mate. The rest of his England generation have moved on. He could not have been granted a more low-key return to cricket than a cold Thursday morning last week at Grace Road, where about 50 spectators huddled against the wind and the PA announcer warned there was no hot food on sale. A four-day leg-stretcher against a Professional County Club Select XI in Leicester proved a tricky start for Zimbabwe. They lost by 138 runs despite taking a first-innings lead. The county team, coached by Andrew Flintoff and Mark Wood, declared at 464 for seven in their second innings with Thomas Rew, the 17-year-old younger brother of James who is in the England squad this week, scoring 103.
Business Recorder
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Zimbabwe appoint Ballance as consultant for England Test
Zimbabwe have appointed former England batter Gary Ballance as a coaching consultant for a four-day Test against their hosts in Nottingham this month, officials said on Tuesday. Harare-born Ballance played international cricket for both England and Zimbabwe. 'We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ballance to our coaching set-up for this historic tour. His deep understanding of English conditions, gained over years of playing at the highest level, will be a valuable asset to our team's tactical preparation,' Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Givemore Makoni said in a statement. Bangladesh crush Zimbabwe by an innings in second Test Balance is the joint third fastest English player to reach 1,000 runs in Tests, which he achieved in 17 innings, the same as current England batter Harry Brook. Zimbabwe, playing a Test in England for the first time since 2003, will follow that with a four-day game against South Africa who are preparing for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Gary Ballance to help Zimbabwe against England after joining backroom staff
Gary Ballance will emerge from the cricketing wilderness to be part of Zimbabwe's coaching team for their Test against England at Trent Bridge later this month, having once played for both nations. Former England batsman Ballance, 35, has kept a low profile since retiring suddenly from cricket in 2023, just three months after relaunching his career in his native Zimbabwe following his involvement in the Yorkshire racism scandal. But he will act as a coaching consultant for the Zimbabwe squad when they meet England on May 22. 'We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ballance to our coaching set-up for this historic tour,' said Zimbabwe's managing director Givemore Makoni. 'His deep understanding of English conditions, gained over years of playing at the highest level, will be a valuable asset to our team's tactical preparation.' Between 2014 and 2017, Ballance played 23 Tests for England, and even became the third-fastest England batsman to 1,000 Test runs (in 17 innings, after only Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton). Even after he was dropped, he remained a prolific domestic run-scorer for Yorkshire, where he was also club captain and a close friend of Joe Root. In 2021, his former friend and team-mate Azeem Rafiq accused him of using racist language at the club. Ahead of a Cricket Discipline Commission hearing in 2023, Ballance admitted his guilt. At a similar time, he returned to play in Zimbabwe, where he was born and grew up before moving to England, where he was schooled at Harrow. He played just one Test for his homeland, scoring a century against West Indies in Bulawayo. He is one of just two players to score a Test hundred for two nations. He also played five ODIs for Zimbabwe, adding to the 16 he played for England. Upon his shock retirement, Ballance said: 'I have reached the stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigours of professional sport'. Zimbabwe depart for their Test meeting with England since 2003 this Friday, and have all-rounder star Sikandar Raza, who is in demand on the franchise circuit, in their touring party. After they face England, they will play a four-day match against South Africa at Arundel to help the Proteas prepare for their World Test Championship final meeting at Lord's.
