Former England Star Gary Ballance to Coach Zimbabwe Ahead of Test For Historic England Tour

For Zimbabwe's forthcoming tour of England, which features a historic one-off Test match at Trent Bridge beginning on May 22, former England and Zimbabwe batter Gary Ballance has joined the coaching group as a consultant.

Ballance provides a wealth of expertise with English conditions, having played professionally for Yorkshire for the entirety of his career. Between 2014 and 2017, he played 23 Test matches for England. He started his international career well by becoming the third-fastest Englishman to amass 1000 Test runs, a record that Harry Brook currently holds. But Ballance's England career ended in 2017 due to a decline in form.

Given that the 35-year-old former batter has played for both Zimbabwe and England on the international scene and has an amazing record in county cricket with the Yorkshire team, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, Givemore Makoni, also appeared thrilled to have him join the team.

New venture for Gary Ballance:

Makoni said, “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."

Ballance then decided to play for his native Zimbabwe in a rare international transfer. In 2023, he had a spectacular debut for Zimbabwe, becoming just the second player after Kepler Wessels to register Test hundreds for two different nations with an undefeated 137 in a Test match. Later that year, he announced his retirement from all professional cricket after playing in one Test, five ODIs, and a T20I for Zimbabwe.

Ballance resigned from all forms of cricket in 2023, having made his debut in 2013. Throughout his career, he has participated in 24 Test matches, 21 ODIs, and one T20I. In red-ball cricket, he has amassed 1653 runs at an average of 40.31, five hundreds, and seven half-centuries. Balance is only the second player to make hundreds for two Test-playing countries and is tied for third place among England's players with 1000 Test runs. Having played for both Derbyshire and Yorkshire, he boasts an amazing first-class record. He has amassed 12031 runs at an average of 47.74 in his 171 first-class appearances, including 42 hundreds. 

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