England today are a powerhouse in Test cricket. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as captain and head coach of the national Test side are changing the way Test cricket is played. England are busy playing the Multan Test in Pakistan, trying to win a historic series in the country for the first time. At the same time, an England batsman has dropped a bombshell by announcing that he is changing his international team to Zimbabwe. His name is Gary Ballance. Ballance has played in 23 Tests and 16 ODIs from 2013 to 2017. Not to forget, Ballance was born in Zimbabwe only. He is eligible to play for Zimbabwe as he last played a Test match for England in 2017.
What must be mentioned here is that Ballance used to play for Yorkshire, who have released him now. Yorkshire is the same club for which Azim Rafique used to play, who had accused several players of passing racist comments at him. He has also apologized to Rafique for the racist remarks. He did not play for Yorkshire in wake of the controversy and has dealt with mental health issues post the episode.
_ 39 international
_ 1795 runs
_______ Four centuriesThe left-hander had a wonderful start to his Test career, scoring three _s and two fifties in his first six games. He averages 46.44 at No.3 in the format _
Happy birthday, Gary Ballance! pic.twitter.com/4f1nbYpECv— ICC (@ICC) November 22, 2020
“It has been a privilege to play for this great club (Yorkshire),” said Ballance in a statement issued Thursday. On a personal level, I have gone through a challenging period — and after much discussion I decided, together with my family, that it would be right to make a change.”
Darren Gough, Yorkshire managing director, said it had been tough to let Ballance go. He said, “We are sad to see Gary go, but he leaves with our best wishes. He has been a mainstay of our side for many years, and a superb batsman.”
Zimbabwe will be boosted by the presence of Balance in the side. He has four international tons and his experience will come to great use in the Zimbabwe dressing room.