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

[RedwoodOriginal]

Apparently he made his Zimbabwe debut during the recent series against Ireland. Guess he didn't have much of a choice. Let's see if he can actually bolster Zimbabwe's batting going forward or not. Hopefully he can also learn from his racist past and improve as a human being.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Gary Ballance became only the second Test batsman after Kepler Wessels to score a century for two countries, hitting an unbeaten 137 for Zimbabwe against the West Indies in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

 

[sweep_shot]

He seems to be having a good time. Zimbabwe should draw the game now.

 

[sam_ahm]

Ballance has already made a big difference to the Zimbabwean side. A brilliant century I'm the first test here, I've seen him in the ODI series against Ireland and so far he hasn't looked troubled at all... Easily appears to be Zimbabwe's best batsman right now ahead of Raza and Williams.

 

[giri26]

Seems to have gotten off to a great start playing for Zimbabwe. He is just 33 so still has 3-4 years of cricket left. He could be good for Zimbabwe cricket. Just that he will not get to play too much Test cricket.

 

[MenInG]

Gary Ballance statement:

"After much thought, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect.

"I had hoped my move to Zimbabwe would provide me with a new-found happiness for the game and I will always be thankful to Zimbabwe Cricket for providing me with an opportunity to return to international cricket and welcoming me into their team. However, 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. I wish them every success going forward.

"I have been fortunate to have some incredibly memorable moments in cricket, winning County Championships with Yorkshire and gaining the ultimate honour of representing England and Zimbabwe. I want to thank all of my clubs, coaches, support staff, teammates and supporters for their guidance and encouragement over my career, it has been a privilege.

"It is now time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life.

"I will be making no further comments on my decision at this time."

 

[Sher Khan]

A real shame. He was an excellent player in my opinion. I felt if he got a long rope by England could well have averaged 45-50 in test cricket.

 

[Major]

what happened? he was a very good player.

was he suffering from depression? it sounds as if he was.

 

[Savak]

Racist Gary Ballance. No one wanted anything to do with him after the revelations from Yorkshire investigations.

 

[Markhor]

Unless there's genuine mental health problems, this is ridiculous. You sign a 2 year contract and you quit after a few months right before the World Cup Qualifiers which are critical for Zimbabwe, a cash strapped board who sorely need ICC revenue, to get through.

I feel sorry for coach Dave Houghton (his uncle I think) who rehabilitated him after his disgraceful behaviour at Yorkshire was exposed.

He leaves no legacy in cricket. He was mediocre for England and now he's wasted an opportunity at redemption with Zimbabwe. The real reason should come out soon.

 

[MenInG]

what happened? he was a very good player.

was he suffering from depression? it sounds as if he was.

Racist Gary Ballance. No one wanted anything to do with him after the revelations from Yorkshire investigations.

Think that is your answer [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION]

His involvement in the racism thing probably created the mental pressure.

 

[Markhor]

A real shame. He was an excellent player in my opinion. I felt if he got a long rope by England could well have averaged 45-50 in test cricket.

No he wouldn't have and received sufficient opportunities.

His poor footwork was quickly worked out - bowl a few short deliveries, he goes on the backfoot, and gets out to a fuller one not transferring his weight properly.

He was dismissed several times against NZL in 2015 and against us in 2016 like this.

 

[sam_ahm]

Unless there's genuine mental health problems, this is ridiculous. You sign a 2 year contract and you quit after a few months right before the World Cup Qualifiers which are critical for Zimbabwe, a cash strapped board who sorely need ICC revenue, to get through.

I feel sorry for coach Dave Houghton (his uncle I think) who rehabilitated him after his disgraceful behaviour at Yorkshire was exposed.

He leaves no legacy in cricket. He was mediocre for England and now he's wasted an opportunity at redemption with Zimbabwe. The real reason should come out soon.

Fair points. He has put Houghton, who is indeed his uncle, in a very embarrassing situation. Also you don't come out and commit to playing for a nation on a lucrative contract (he signed up to playing for Zim on a contract which made him the highest paid cricketer in the country) only to quit 3 months later that too just before the most important tournament for them.

Having said that I do agree that this looks like he is struggling mental health issues, and I do feel for him. It is a big setback for Zimbabwe in terms of their WCQ chances .

 

[gazza619]

Having said that I do agree that this looks like he is struggling mental health issues, and I do feel for him..

Please do remember he is a convicted racist bully before feeling sorry for him.

 

[Mamoon]

Well if Ballance was racist towards Rafiq then that hypocrite deserves nothing better.

Nonetheless the timing is very weird and disrespectful to Zimbabwe cricket. What a waste of time and effort on their part.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Zimbabwe name former England-Chevrons all-rounder as consultant for one-off Test

Set to play their first Test match on English soil since 2003, Zimbabwe have named Gary Ballance as a consultant coach for the landmark Test at Trent Bridge

Former England and Zimbabwe international Gary Ballance has been named as a consultant coach by the latter for the upcoming one-off Test between the two sides.

Ballance, who played 39 matches for England men’s team across formats, also went on to represent Zimbabwe - the country of his birth - for seven matches.

In 2023, while playing his first Test for Zimbabwe, Ballance became only the second player to score a hundred in the longest format of the game for two different countries. He followed former South Africa and Australia international Keppler Wessels in the unique club.

The 35-year-old called time on his international career back in 2023.

Ballance will join a Zimbabwe dressing room in high spirits on the back of a competitive display in the recent Test series in Bangladesh.

ALSO READ - England unveil squad for Zimbabwe Test ahead of blockbuster home summer of cricket
The Chevrons managed to win their first Test against Bangladesh since 2018. The hosts managed to equalize the series 1-1 with a win in the second Test.

For their historic Test against England, Zimbabwe will be bolstered by the return of star all-rounder Sikandar Raza.

England and Zimbabwe lock horns in the one-off Test starting May 22 in Nottingham.

ICC

 

[Ball Blazer]

<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."

The Azeem Rafiq racism scandal, which exposed deep-seated issues of discrimination within English cricket, resurfaced in public discourse after The Telegraph published an article by Nick Hoult suggesting that Gary Ballance, who admitted to using racist language towards Rafiq, "arguably lost more than any of the accused" and had been "cancelled" by English cricket. Ballance, now Zimbabwe’s assistant coach, was portrayed as a victim rebuilding a “shattered life,” prompting a sharp rebuke from Rafiq. Responding to the Telegraph’s tweet, Rafiq called the piece “another pathetic attempt” to downplay racism, criticizing Hoult for framing Ballance’s accountability as unfair cancellation rather than a justified consequence. “It’s all a continued attempt [to] justify the language used,” Rafiq wrote, adding, “Embarrassing – keep trying Nick, truth won’t change.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1925503971105312922