Former England cricketer Gary Ballance has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. He had recently moved to Zimbabwe, his country of birth, and played a few matches for them. However, the cricketer has stated he no longer has the desire to go through the rigors of international cricket. In his statement, he also thanked Zimbabwe for giving him a chance. Ballance played 1 Test, 1 ODI and 5 T20 Internationals for Zimbabwe and also scored a Test ton (137*) during his stint with the team.
"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 it would do Zimbabwe Cricket and the game itself a disservice, should I carry on. I wish them every success going forward," Ballance said in a statement issued by Professional Cricketers' Association.
Overall, Gary Ballance played 24 Tests (23 for England), 21 ODIs and 1 T20I in his international career. He was well known for his contribution in red-ball cricket scoring 1653 runs at an an average of 40.32 with five tons to his name. His strike rate was always an issue in the 50-over cricket where he scored 454 runs at an average of 25.22 with 4 half-centuries to his name. In the only T20I he played in his career, Ballance featured for Zimbabwe to score 30 runs.
Ballance featured for Yorkshire in the County Championship and ended up winning the tournament in 2014 and 2015 seasons. The 33-year-old was also involved in the controversy where he admitted to using racist language for Azeem Rafiq.
