Gary Ballance retires from all forms of cricket

Gary Ballance, on Wednesday, April 19, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The left-handed batter made his debut for Zimbabwe after signing a two-year contract with them.

The southpaw said that he had got no desire left to play any form of cricket. Ballance played one Test, one T20I, and five ODIs for Zimbabwe. He also scored five Test hundreds in his career, one of which (137) came against the West Indies.

"After much thought, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect," Ballance was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Professional Cricketers' Association.

"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,” he stated.

"However, I have reached the stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigors 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 added.

Ballance made his Test debut in 2014 and played 23 Tests for England. But after 2017, his career went downhill. To make things worse, he was involved in ‘institutional racism’ in the Yorkshire County.

Ballance was accused of using racist language against his Yorkshire teammate, Azeem Rafiq. To revive his career, Ballance made a move to Zimbabwe.