“The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion”: Gary Ballance signs 2-year deal with Zimbabwe after terminating his Yorkshire county contract

England’s batter Gary Ballance has decided to take a switch in his career, where he has left English cricket to try his luck in Zimbabwe. He was a constant part of the Yorkshire county team but was released from his contract recently. It is to be noted that Ballance was born in Zimbabwe only.

Ballance was born in Harare in Zimbabwe, but he completed his schooling in England only. He even represented Zimbabwe in the 2006 U19 World Cup. Ballance has represented England in 23 tests, where he has scored 1498 runs with the help of 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries. He also scored 297 runs in 16 ODIs.

Ballance is one of the best players in England FC cricket, where he has scored 11876 FC runs at 47.31 with the help of 41 centuries and 55 half-centuries. He scored his maiden test hundred against Sri Lanka at the Lord’s.

Gary Ballance signs 2-year deal with Zimbabwe cricket

Gary Ballance has expressed his delight on signing a 2-year contract with Zimbabwe. He was released from his Yorkshire contract and it has a stipulation that he can’t play for any other county in the 2023 season. This opportunity will allow Ballance to play both domestic and international cricket for Zimbabwe.

Ballance said that he was going through a challenging period, and he had a lot of discussions with his family and friends before taking this decision.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Zimbabwe Cricket and can’t wait to start work with some great coaches and talented players,” Ballance said.

“The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion and excitement for the game.”

Ballance was recently involved in a controversy when he was named in the Azeem Rafiq’s racism case. He was one of the seven players of Yorkshire, but the court hearing has been shifted to next year. However, Ballance said that he individually apologized to Rafiq as well.