Former England batsman Gary Ballance retires from cricket

Former English dough Gary Ballance has announced his retirement just three months after resuming his international career Zimbabwe.

Ballance, 33, played 23 Tests and 16 ODIs for England but last appeared in 2017 as he battled a loss of form, mental health and damaging allegations. Yorkshire racism scandal.

After agreeing to terminate his contract at Headingley he returned to the country of his birth and signed a two-year contract, but his return to top-flight cricket was short-lived.

Ballance scored a century in his only Test appearance for Zimbabwe. He scored 137 against the West Indies in February and also featured in five ODIs and one T20.

Despite promising returns, Ballance noted that his motivation to compete at the highest level had evaporated.

In a statement issued through the Professional Cricketers Association, he said: After much consideration, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect.

I hoped that my move to Zimbabwe would bring me new luck in the game and I will always be grateful to Zimbabwe Cricket for giving me the opportunity to return to international cricket and welcoming me into their team.

However, I have reached a stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigors of professional sport and it would be a disservice to Zimbabwean cricket and the game itself if I continued. I wish them success in the future.

I have reached a stage where I no longer have the desire to dedicate myself to the rigors of professional sport and it would be a disservice to Zimbabwean cricket and the game itself if I continued.

Gary Ballance

I have been fortunate to have some incredibly memorable moments in cricket, winning the County Championships with Yorkshire and achieving the ultimate honor of representing England and Zimbabwe.

I would like to thank all my clubs, coaches, support staff, teammates and supporters for their guidance and encouragement throughout 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 not comment further on my decision at this stage.

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Ballance was one of those accused by Azeem Rafiq of racism and his account of his time in Yorkshire sent shockwaves throughout the English game.

The pair had once been close friends, but after apologizing last year, Ballance admitted he had sometimes used inappropriate racist language. He later accepted five charges brought by the Cricket Disciplinary Board.

The left-hander had once seemed to be a major player for England, as he started well in Tests at number three and scored three centuries in the summer of 2014.

Unable to sustain this form, he added a hundred in the West Indies the following spring before indifferent form and concerns about his technique took over.

He was given a second chance when he was recalled to captain Joe Roots early on, but after two games and a broken thumb, he drifted out of contention.

He bows with an impressive first-class record of over 12,000 runs at an average of 47.74 and 42 centuries. He also scored 4697 List A runs and 1952 runs in T20 cricket.