Gary Ballance to join Zimbabwe coaching staff ahead of England Test
Ballance played 23 Tests for England as well as spending more than a decade in the county game
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-May-2025 • 4 hrs ago
Gary Ballance scored Test centuries for England and Zimbabwe • Associated Press
Former England and Zimbabwe batter Gary Ballance has been added to the coaching staff for Zimbabwe's upcoming tour of England. Ballance, who spent more than a decade playing county cricket with Yorkshire, will join as a coaching consultant for the one-off Test at Trent Bridge starting on May 22.
Having made his Test debut on the 2013-14 Ashes tour, Ballance became the third-fastest England player to 1000 Test runs, taking just 17 innings (a mark since equalled by Harry Brook). But his returns dipped sharply, and he did not play again for his adopted nation after 2017.
Ballance played 23 Tests for England and subsequently opted to represent Zimbabwe, the country of his birth, playing one Test, five ODIs and one T20I in 2023 before retiring. His 137 not out on Test debut for Zimbabwe made him only the second man to score centuries for two Test nations.
"We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ballance to our coaching set-up for this historic tour," Givemore Makoni, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, said. "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."
Zimbabwe are set to depart for the UK on Friday and will play a warm-up match against a First-Class County XI in Leicester ahead of the four-day Test. They are also scheduled to face South Africa in Arundel on June 3-6 as part of the Proteas' build-up to the World Test Championship [WTC] final against Australia.