Gary Ballance Appointed as Zimbabwe's Coaching Consultant for England Tour

Former England and Zimbabwe batter Gary Ballance has been appointed as a coaching consultant for Zimbabwe’s national team ahead of their upcoming Test tour of England. His involvement is centered around the one-off Test match set to begin on May 22 at Trent Bridge.

Ballance made his Test debut for England during the 2013–14 Ashes series and quickly made an impact, becoming the third-fastest English batter to reach 1,000 Test runs—achieving the feat in just 17 innings. However, a dip in form saw him fall out of England's plans, with his last appearance coming in 2017.

In a remarkable twist, Ballance returned to international cricket in 2023, this time representing his country of birth, Zimbabwe. He made an immediate mark, scoring an unbeaten 137 on his Test debut for Zimbabwe—becoming only the second player in history to score Test centuries for two different countries.

Zimbabwe Cricket’s Managing Director, Givemore Makoni, expressed his enthusiasm over Ballance’s inclusion:
"We are thrilled to have Gary Ballance join our coaching setup for this historic tour. His deep understanding of English conditions will be invaluable in helping the team prepare strategically."

Zimbabwe is scheduled to depart for the UK on Friday. The tour will begin with a warm-up match in Leicester against a first-class County XI, followed by a four-day game from June 3–6 in Arundel against South Africa—a fixture serving as preparation for the Proteas’ World Test Championship final.