Gary Ballance of Zimbabwe retires from all forms of sport.

Gary Ballance, a former England cricketer, announced his retirement from professional cricket on April 19, only four months after joining Zimbabwe Cricket. The left-handed batsman signed a two-year contract with Zimbabwe Cricket in December 2022 to return to his home country, but his decision to retire from all forms of cricket stunned cricket fans.

In his first Test for Zimbabwe in February 2023, Ballance struck a century against West Indies. The 33-year-old former captain of Yorkshire stated that he no longer wishes to devote himself to the sport and thanked Zimbabwe Cricket for bringing him newfound pleasure.
“After much consideration, I have decided to immediately retire from all forms of professional cricket. Gary Balance said in a statement, “I had hoped my move to Zimbabwe would provide me with a newfound passion for the game, and I will be eternally grateful to Zimbabwe Cricket for allowing me to return to international cricket and welcoming me into their team.”

“However, I have reached a point where I no longer have the desire to devote myself to the rigors of professional sport. If I were to continue, I would be doing Zimbabwe Cricket and the sport itself a disservice. I wish them continued prosperity,” Ballance concluded.

The Zimbabwean-born cricketer made his England debut in 2013 and his Test debut in 2014. In only ten contests, he became the third-fastest player to reach 1000 runs for England in Tests. At the time, he was second only to Sir Don Bradman in terms of scoring over 1000 runs with an average of over 60.

However, he scored only two fifties in his next thirteen Tests for England and was subsequently cut from the squad. Ballance last played for England in 2017 during a home Tests series against South Africa, but was sidelined after the first two matches due to injury.