Gary Ballance slams Test ton on debut for Zimbabwe: Stats
Middle-order batter Gary Ballance has slammed a fine century on his Test debut for Zimbabwe. Ballance, who joined Zimbabwe after leaving the England national side, reached the three-figure mark on Day 4 of the 1st Test against the West Indies. Notably, Ballance also has four Test tons for England. He has become only the second player to score a Test century for two countries.
A solid knock by Ballance
Ballance came to the middle after Zimbabwe were reduced to 114/3 after WI declared on 447/6. While Ballance held one end, Zimbabwe lost four wickets under the 200-run mark. He then shared a century-plus stand with Brandon Mavuta, taking Zimbabwe past 300. Meanwhile, Ballance brought up his century in the second session, off 190 balls. He smacked a six to reach the mark.
Fifth Test ton for Ballance
Ballance has smashed his fifth century in Test cricket. He had registered four of them while playing for England. The left-handed batter represented England between 2014 and 2017, having scored 1,498 runs from 23 Tests at an average of 37.45. The tally includes seven half-centuries.
Test tons for two teams
Ballance entered the record books while batting at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. He has become just the second player after Kepler Wessels to score centuries for two teams in Tests. Ballance's last Test ton came in April 2015 (against West Indies). As per Kausthub Gudipati, the likes of Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan, and Mark Chapman achieved this feat in ODIs.
Ballance signed contract with Zimbabwe last year
Ballance was born in Zimbabwe only and was initially expected to serve his native country. He even represented the Zimbabwe U-19 team in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup. However, to pursue his career, he migrated to England and served the Three Lions. As he had been out of the national team since 2017, the 33-year-old decided to move to Zimbabwe.
A look at his career for England
Ballance, who made his international debut in September 2013, played 23 Tests and 16 ODIs for the Brits. He scored 1,498 in the longest format at 37.45. The tally includes four tons and seven fifties. He scored 297 ODI runs at 21.21 with the help of two fifties. The 33-year-old was even a part of England's 2015 ODI World Cup squad.
