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Gary Ballance retires from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect

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Gary Ballance was playing his first ODI against Ireland and scored a Duck just now.

He got a List A average of 57+ and FC average of 52+


ESPNcricinfo:
Born in Zimbabwe, Gary Ballance was already on Derbyshire's books as a 16-year-old and made a handful of appearances for them in 2006 and 2007. This followed a decent showing at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in February 2006 when his offspinners collected three wickets in the win over England and he struck an impressive 53 against the tournament hosts. An innings of 73 against Hampshire in a Pro40 match in August 2006 caught the eye but after limited chances in 2007 he signed an Academy contract with Yorkshire.

He was one of Yorkshire's better players during their relegation summer in 2011, during which the team suffered from several dire Championship batting performances. He added 717 runs at 42.17 in the Championship and 331 runs at 55.16 in the Clydesdale Bank 40, and was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

During the winter off-seasons, he has plied his trade for Mid West Rhinos in Zimbabwe, where he made a big entrance to the 2010-11 season, his second season with them, by cracking the first double hundred of his career to set up an innings victory over Southern Rocks. In the 2011-12 season he passed 1,000 first-class runs in only 14 innings and captained the side to the final of the 50-overs Coca-Cola Cup competition. It was here that his advancement was most emphatically announced.

As Yorkshire regained their Division One status at the first attempt in 2012, Ballance was again a key figure. His 613 Championship runs included an unbeaten 121 as Yorkshire completed the second biggest successful run chase in their history against Gloucestershire at Bristol in May, when they knocked off a target of 400 to win in 110 overs with four wickets and 14 balls to spare; Ballance clinched victory with a four followed by consecutive sixes off the left-arm spinner, Ed Young.

He topped Yorkshire's Clydesdale Bank 40 averages with 469 runs at 58.62, including a 91-ball 103 not out against the Unicorns, while his 356 Twenty20 runs included two half-centuries in the Champions League. These performances led to his selection for the England Lions squad picked for a limited-overs tour of Australia in February 2013. He made his international debut that year too, in an ODI against Ireland.
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had a feeling the pressure would get to him and he'll get off to a bad start internationally but will get better, still feel Zimbabwe miss him like heck
 
Can't wait for the numerous 'Balance' related puns in newspapers and on Cricinfo...
 
James said:
Can't wait for the numerous 'Balance' related puns in newspapers and on Cricinfo...
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Have you seen him playing in counties how is he? I only saw his stats and they look really awesome...

There are only 8 players with a 50+ average in List A matches after playing at least 50 List A innings and he is on top.
 
Can't blame a bloke for jumping out of Zimbabwe
 
Gone in second over after lunch, Scored 18 runs
 
Gary Ballance Performance Watch

Well i expect Ballance to score big in the second innings.
 
Very talented and hard working lad

He was knocking the door for the last few years and he have grabbed this oppertunity with both hands , The future of english batting looks good with the likes of Robson,Ballance,Root and moeen showing some determination and talent
 
Azzurri said:
Very talented and hard working lad

He was knocking the door for the last few years and he have grabbed this oppertunity with both hands , The future of english batting looks good with the likes of Robson,Ballance,Root and moeen showing some determination and talent
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Robson looks limited.
 
Azzurri said:
Very talented and hard working lad

He was knocking the door for the last few years and he have grabbed this oppertunity with both hands , The future of english batting looks good with the likes of Robson,Ballance,Root and moeen showing some determination and talent
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Moeen and Robson have so far not lived up to the hype. They are average county batsme. Ballance seems to have an insatiable hunger for runs which is good to see. Easily the best of the lot.
 
The return of Gary Ballance

Gary Ballance was a terrific find for England as a No.3 batsman. With a solid technique and good temperament, he had a super 2014 and his test average came up to 60.
But then he lost form in 2015 and had a poor run and was dropped.
And now he is back in the squad for another chance.
If he finds his feet again, he could be very dangerous along with Joe Root.
Just thinking about an in-form Ballance at 3 and Joe Root at 4 gives me shivers.
What do you guys think about Gary Ballance?
 
I feel that he can become a walking wicket when not in-form. It's up to the bowlers to keep him that way.

Also interesting that Root is going to be their #3 for the first test and he himself hasn't had the best of runs, recently.

Get Cook out early and the English batter can collapse pretty horrifyingly.
 
I hope he brings balance to the English side :afridi


Ok I'll see myself out..
 
He should have been persisted with, better than James Vince. But it doesn't matter to us, they all will collapse like a pack of cards.
 
The 3 guys from Yorkshire can become the mainstay off England's test team.

Balance
Root
Bairstow
 
Top player who is going to score lots of runs against us.
 
Bear in mind his County average this season is 33 and the hundred he got vs Middlesex was at Scarborough - one of the flattest grounds in the country.

Let's see if second time's the charm.
 
I am almost certain he will do well. And that Andersons replacement will have a very good game too
 
He is a shaky starter but very hard to dislodge once he is set.
 
He's a back-foot player. He goes deep into his crease, plays defenselessly and is hard to dislodge; this gets really annoying for the opposition.
 
Full and straight like we used to do against Hick.

Bowl a few rapid ones at his throat and then throw in the fast full straight one.

I can't wait to see us attack him.
 
He does have a good temperament but technically there are massive flaws.
 
Sadly I think he will fail against Pakistan. His lacklustre technique makes him look vulnerable in Test cricket. Then again our 5-day batting apart from Bairstow has been awful this season so far, so Unballanced is worth another go.
 
He has the mentality to do well at this level, question is does he have the technique? We shall see on Thursday
 
TestMatch said:
He's a back-foot player. He goes deep into his crease, plays defenselessly and is hard to dislodge; this gets really annoying for the opposition.
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But if you can make him come foreword with good length and full balls he will be in trouble.
 
Hasan123 said:
But if you can make him come foreword with good length and full balls he will be in trouble.
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He even plays full balls off the back-foot. Problem is that you need to bowl extra full to him since he's 3 miles behind the crease.

Full length deliveries will cause him problems, specially when you see how late Amir and Rahat swing the ball, as well as the rising bouncers since he has no room to move back further to ride the bounce.
 
Abdullah719 said:
He even plays full balls off the back-foot. Problem is that you need to bowl extra full to him since he's 3 miles behind the crease.

Full length deliveries will cause him problems, specially when you see how late Amir and Rahat swing the ball, as well as the rising bouncers since he has no room to move back further to ride the bounce.
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Indeed. If we can do this to him the first time we bowl to him it will put him under pressure and make him question his technique for the rest of the series.
 
Shocking performance this series. Averaging 6, culminating in an embarrassing dismissal. Averaging 19 this year. Surely, he has to go?
 
Hasan123 said:
But if you can make him come foreword with good length and full balls he will be in trouble.
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Starc would pin him with inswingers almost every time. Didn't even had to bring him forward, just bowl it nice and full and ping! His back foot game, which was his strongest asset (supposedly) was badly exposed in Ashes. Now his back foot game has been proven to be much worse against spinners (which I never thought was possible but apparently there is a level, even below rock bottom).
 
honeybadger said:
Starc would pin him with inswingers almost every time. Didn't even had to bring him forward, just bowl it nice and full and ping! His back foot game, which was his strongest asset (supposedly) was badly exposed in Ashes. Now his back foot game has been proven to be much worse against spinners (which I never thought was possible but apparently there is a level, even below rock bottom).
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He has been badly exposed. No way can he play vs Ashwin and co.
 
Entirely predictable dismissal today. Couple of short deliveries, hangs far back in his crease and gets trapped in front with a fuller one.

70% of his Test dismissals are from fuller deliveries.

That was Root's first call as captain and he's got it wrong. Time to drop his former flatmate and Yorkshire teammate once and for all.
 
Markhor said:
Entirely predictable dismissal today. Couple of short deliveries, hangs far back in his crease and gets trapped in front with a fuller one.

70% of his Test dismissals are from fuller deliveries.

That was Root's first call as captain and he's got it wrong. Time to drop his former flatmate and Yorkshire teammate once and for all.
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its just one innings man after so long. (I dont really know much about the background or his form but just one innings to take out the knives?)

Also 88/4. Pitch, cloud cover, good bowling or terrible batting?
 
Slog said:
its just one innings man after so long. (I dont really know much about the background or his form but just one innings to take out the knives?)

Also 88/4. Pitch, cloud cover, good bowling or terrible batting?
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Yes but same dismissal and same technical flaws were evident today as they were in 2015 and 2016. He's one of those batsmen capable of bullying domestic attacks but can't make the step up to internationals.

Philander has bowled excellently on a green tinged pitch but its not a minefield, there's been some loose shot selection from England and one poor decision not to review an LBW that was pitching outside leg from Jennings.
 
Poor decision to recall him. Does not look like he has improved at all. Surely we could have tried someone new.

He is going to end up like another Hick or Ramprakash, too good for county attacks but can't hack Test cricket.
 
Markhor said:
Entirely predictable dismissal today. Couple of short deliveries, hangs far back in his crease and gets trapped in front with a fuller one.

70% of his Test dismissals are from fuller deliveries.

That was Root's first call as captain and he's got it wrong. Time to drop his former flatmate and Yorkshire teammate once and for all.
Click to expand...

Slog said:
its just one innings man after so long. (I dont really know much about the background or his form but just one innings to take out the knives?)

Also 88/4. Pitch, cloud cover, good bowling or terrible batting?
Click to expand...

Markhor said:
Yes but same dismissal and same technical flaws were evident today as they were in 2015 and 2016. He's one of those batsmen capable of bullying domestic attacks but can't make the step up to internationals.

Philander has bowled excellently on a green tinged pitch but its not a minefield, there's been some loose shot selection from England and one poor decision not to review an LBW that was pitching outside leg from Jennings.
Click to expand...

James said:
Poor decision to recall him. Does not look like he has improved at all. Surely we could have tried someone new.

He is going to end up like another Hick or Ramprakash, too good for county attacks but can't hack Test cricket.
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To be fair to Gary he is the highest English run getter in division 1 this season, averaging 100 and scoring 3 hundreds. So this ought to have made the selectors decision a lot easier when it came to Root's request. However, given his technical flaws and previous international struggles I'd have given Burns or Stoneman a chance.

Anyhow, now that he has been selected it is only fair that he is given the series and he has topped the English county championship division 1 charts even though the friendship with Root may have helped.
 
Batting him out of position, again. If he plays it should be at #5.

We don't have a natural #3 so might as well get Hameed back.
 
shaz619 said:
To be fair to Gary he is the highest English run getter in division 1 this season, averaging 100 and scoring 3 hundreds. So this ought to have made the selectors decision a lot easier when it came to Root's request. However, given his technical flaws and previous international struggles I'd have given Burns or Stoneman a chance.

Anyhow, now that he has been selected it is only fair that he is given the series and he has topped the English county championship division 1 charts even though the friendship with Root may have helped.
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Ballance is going the way of Ramprakash it seems.
 
leatherface58 said:
Ballance is going the way of Ramprakash it seems.
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I'd bet on Ramprakash doing well in the current set up in this era, he was a lot more sound technically then ballance; also is a brilliant coach, he has been tasked with the development of youngsters at the ECB academy. Ballance is just technically inept, I do respect his run scoring at the county level but pitches here get better for the batsman as the season progresses and there is no toss anymore as well.
 
England batsman and Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance is taking a break from cricket because of "personal reasons".

Yorkshire say they have granted the 28-year-old "time away from the game" and he will miss "several" One-Day Cup matches, starting at Durham on Friday.

Ballance, who has 23 Test caps for England, did not play in the Tykes' most recent County Championship fixture - an innings defeat by Surrey.

"We ask that his privacy be respected during this time," said a statement.

Pace bowler Steven Patterson will skipper the side in Ballance's absence.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/44171114
 
Hope he bounces back. Not international quality but good enough for domestic.
 
From the ECB:

Before any regulatory investigation is complete, the Board wishes to take immediate action in relation to Gary Ballance. While Mr Ballance has not been selected to play for England since 2017, he will be suspended indefinitely from selection. This position will be reviewed following the ECB regulatory investigation into his conduct.
 
Yorkshire accused by Rafiq of allowing Gary Ballance to miss drugs tests:

FEUrpt4XoAYmprE
 
Saj said:
From the ECB:

Before any regulatory investigation is complete, the Board wishes to take immediate action in relation to Gary Ballance. While Mr Ballance has not been selected to play for England since 2017, he will be suspended indefinitely from selection. This position will be reviewed following the ECB regulatory investigation into his conduct.
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What the heck! His career was already over. A financial penalty fits the bill. Hit him where it hurts.
 
Former England batter Gary Ballance has denied an allegation that he failed a recreational drugs test at Yorkshire.

Former team-mate Azeem Rafiq claimed in his witness statement about racism at Yorkshire that the club had "protected Ballance with respect to his drug and alcohol issues".

Rafiq also said that Yorkshire instead told the public he was missing games because of mental health issues.

A representative for Ballance denied the specific allegations raised.

BBC Sport has also approached Yorkshire for comment.

Rafiq gave a witness statement as part of his employment tribunal against Yorkshire.

It was published after the former bowler spoke to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee about his experiences of racism during his two spells at Yorkshire.

"Over the years, YCCC protected Gary Balance with respect to his drug and alcohol issues, allowing him to miss drug hair sample tests to avoid sanctions," the statement read.

"When he failed a recreational drug test and was forced to miss some games, the club informed the public he was missing games because he was struggling with anxiety and mental health issues."

Speaking on Tuesday, Rafiq said racist language was used "constantly" at Yorkshire and he received "inhuman" treatment after the stillbirth of his son in 2017.

He said the atmosphere became "toxic" after Ballance took over as captain and described the batter's behaviour as disgusting.

Ballance has previously admitted using racist language about Rafiq's Pakistani heritage towards him. In a lengthy statement released earlier in November, Ballance said he "deeply regrets" the language he used.

BBC
 
UN talkz said:
England batsman and Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance is taking a break from cricket because of "personal reasons".

Yorkshire say they have granted the 28-year-old "time away from the game" and he will miss "several" One-Day Cup matches, starting at Durham on Friday.

Ballance, who has 23 Test caps for England, did not play in the Tykes' most recent County Championship fixture - an innings defeat by Surrey.

"We ask that his privacy be respected during this time," said a statement.

Pace bowler Steven Patterson will skipper the side in Ballance's absence.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/44171114
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This might be the protection of Ballance from YCC that Rafiq was referring to.
 
sweep_shot said:
He didn't do that good in international cricket. Was quite mediocre.
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Seemed to get his feet stuck together in the crease repeatedly, which made him a walking LBW candidate.

In terms of my opinion of Ballance as a person, let’s just say that I am never particularly surprised when a white Zimbabwean (or white South African) turns out to be a big time racist with the full suite of backwards views.
 
<b>Ballance to play for Zimbabwe after Yorkshire release</b>

<I>Gary Ballance's departure from Yorkshire was confirmed on Tuesday; the 33-year-old will now return to international cricket with his native Zimbabwe; Ballance played 23 Tests and 16 one-day internationals for England between 2013 and 2017</I>

Former England batter Gary Ballance has agreed a two-year deal to play for his native Zimbabwe following his release from Yorkshire.

Ballance, who admitted using racist language against former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq during a lengthy statement in late 2021, has spent the past year on the sidelines dealing with mental health issues.

The 33-year-old's departure from Yorkshire was announced on Thursday and it was revealed that he would not play county cricket during the 2023 campaign.

Ballance will now play for Zimbabwe, the nation he featured for during the Under-19 World Cup before moving to England in 2006, where he initially represented Derbyshire before joining Yorkshire in 2008.

The left-hander played 23 Tests for England between 2014 and 2017, scoring 1,498 runs including four centuries at an average of 37.14, while he also figured in 16 one-day internationals between 2013 and 2015, hitting two fifties.

Ballance, who will also play in Zimbabwean domestic cricket, could make his Zimbabwe debut in January when the African side host Ireland for three T20 internationals and as many one-day internationals.

Ballance "I'm thrilled to be joining Zimbabwe Cricket and can't wait to start work with some great coaches and talented players. The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion and excitement for the game.

"I have kept in touch with a number of people within Zimbabwe cricket over the years and it has been great to watch their recent progress especially."

Zimbabwe director of cricket Hamilton Masakadza said his nation were delighted to have an "immensely talented and experienced cricketer" back home.

"He's a great addition to our domestic and international set-up and we are looking forward to him making a massive difference for us," Masakadza said.

Under International Cricket Council rules, a player can switch allegiance between full member nations if there has been a three-year gap since they last played for the country they are moving from.

https://www.skysports.com/cricket/n...lay-for-zimbabwe-after-release-from-yorkshire
 
Good news for Zimbabwe, will boost their middle order.

Dave Houghton has brought a much needed feelgood factor to Zimbabwe cricket.
 
Didn’t really work out for Gary as an England player in the end, he wasn’t quite up to the required standard. But I imagine he will do a good, solid job for Zimbabwe and will enjoy being back home.
 
Now part of Zimbabwe!

==

Zimbabwe have made four changes from the squad that played the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia last year with the most notable one being the addition of former England player Gary Ballance, who recently signed a two-year deal with Zimbabwe cricket to play domestic and international cricket.

Ballance was released from Yorkshire after a lengthy stint that began in 2007 and returned to Zimbabwe to represent his home country.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Zimbabwe Cricket and can't wait to start work with some great coaches and talented players," Ballance said at the time.

"The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion and excitement for the game."
 
England has a lot of talent these days. Its about time some of these players return and strengthen their native countries.
 
<b>Gary Ballance accepts CDC charges, will not appear at Yorkshire hearings</b>

Gary Ballance has accepted the Cricket Discipline Commission charges against him in relation to claims of racist behaviour at Yorkshire.

Ballance has admitted his guilt to five charges, including the use of racist language.

As a result, he will not be required to appear at the hearings into the allegations.

And, as the CDC does not have jurisdiction beyond English cricket, no sanction that is applied in his absence will derail his new career with Zimbabwe.

Ballance has previously issued a public apology for his behaviour and also apologised in person to Azeem Rafiq. He also withdrew any counter allegations against Azeem.

"I apologise unreservedly to Azeem for the words I used when we played together," Ballance said at the time.

"I did use unacceptable - at times, racist - language. If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately.

"I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong and I hope this statement brings Azeem some comfort.

“There is no place in our sport for this behaviour and I am determined to play my part in ridding the game from racism and make it more inclusive.

“To do this we all need to be honest and learn from our past mistakes."

Azeem accepted the apology, saying at the time: "Gary must be applauded for his honesty and unreserved apology and must now be allowed to get on with his life."
 
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