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Brandon Moyo

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WITH just over two months left before the start of the 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s World Cup Qualifier on Zimbabwean soil, Gary Ballance has dropped a bombshell by announcing his retirement from all forms of professional cricket.

The 33-year-old former England and Yorkshire batsman signed a two-year contract with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) in December after switching allegiance from England. Zimbabwe who are hoping to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in India at the end of this year, expected to use Ballance’s experience. 

In his retirement statement which was released by the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) on his behalf yesterday, Ballance said his decision had come after much thought. 

“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. 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,” said Ballance.

He said he had 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,” read the statement.

Ballance made his Chevrons debut in January in a T20I series against Ireland that was played at Harare Sports Club which became his first and last international 20-over match.

In just his second One Day International (ODI) match for Zimbabwe, the country of his birth, he scored his maiden half century. He made 52 runs for Dave Houghton’s side in a series that ended 1-1. He also scored another unbeaten half century in what has turned out to be his final match for Zimbabwe on 25 March against Netherlands. He made 64 runs as Zimbabwe put up a brilliant performance to win the series 2-1 after a dismal start.

Ballance, who was a known longer-version specialist, made history in the only Test he played for Zimbabwe. He notched up a century to remove the Chevrons from the jaws of defeat in February this year when playing against the West Indies at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Ballance became the second player in the history of the game after Kepler Wessels to score a century for two different countries after he compiled an unbeaten 137 runs. Wessels notched up centuries for Australia and South Africa. 

He also joined an elite group of Zimbabweans to score centuries on Test debut. Houghton and Hamilton Masakadza are the only two Chevrons stars to have managed that feat.

In total, Ballance played a total of 24 Test matches, racking up 1 653 runs and a high score of 156 runs at an average of 40, 31. In ODIs, he played 21 matches, scored 454 runs with a high score of 79 at an average of 25. 22 while in the shortest version of the game, he scored 30 runs in one match.

Gary Ballance padding up at training

In first-class cricket, Ballance amassed 12 031 runs from 171 matches and 278 innings with a high score of 210 runs at an average of 47.74 while in List A, he played 124 matches, scored 4 697 runs with a best of 156 runs with an average of 47.44. He also played 107 T20 matches, scored 1 952 runs at an average of 23.51, his best in this format being 79 runs.

ZC is yet to release a statement on Ballance’s retirement. — @brandon_malvin