Former England international Gary Ballance has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket. The left-handed batter had recently returned to play for his native Zimbabwe and signed a two-year deal with Zimbabwe Cricket in late 2022. Ballance played five ODIs, one T20I, and a Test for Zimbabwe since his return, where he hit a hundred in his only Test appearance for the team in February against West Indies.
"After much thought, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect," the 33-year-old said in a statement issued by the Professional Cricketers' Association. "I had hoped my move to Zimbabwe would provide me with a new-found happiness for the game and I will always be thankful to Zimbabwe Cricket for providing me with an opportunity to return to international cricket and welcoming me into their team."
Ballance played 42 times for England across all three formats, averaging 37.45 in his 23 Test appearances for them between 2014 and 2017. He became eligible to play for Zimbabwe in 2021 and revealed that he had made himself available to play for the team in December 2022. He became the second player after Kepler Wessels to make Test centuries for two different countries when he hit his only Test hundred for Zimbabwe earlier this year.
"I have been fortunate to have some incredibly memorable moments in cricket, winning County Championships with Yorkshire and gaining the ultimate honour of representing England and Zimbabwe," Ballance said. "It is now time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life."