01 February 2023 , 09:54
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Former England international Gary Ballance is set to make his Test cricket return after being named in Zimbabwe's squad to face the West Indies.
Ballance signed a two-year deal to play for his native Zimbabwe in December after he was released from his Yorkshire deal following the racism scandal that engulfed the county.
The 33-year-old admitted using racist language towards Azeem Rafiq following an independent investigation that found his former teammate was a victim of "racial harassment and bullying" during his time at Yorkshire.
Ballance had not represented Yorkshire since September 2021, but with plenty of years left in his career, has returned to the country of his birth to revive his international career.
And he was able to switch allegiances under International Cricket rules as a player can change between two different full member nations after a three-year stand-down period.
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The left-handed batter - who made 23 Test appearances for England in 2013 and 2017 - has already played for Zimbabwe in the one-day format and notched a half-century in an ODI defeat to Ireland last month.
And he is now ready to make his Test bow for Zimbabwe after being named in a 16-man squad for this month's two-match series against the West Indies.
Harare-born Ballance will be led by Craig Ervine with regular Test skipper Sean Williams out with a fractured finger. All-rounders Sikandra Raza and Ryan Burl are also absent due to T20 franchise commitments.
But Ballance who averaged 37.45 for England, will relish the prospect of scoring runs at Test level for the first time in six years.
And after signing a deal to commit to playing domestic and international cricket in Zimbabwe in December, Ballance explained how the move has breathed fresh life into his cricket career.
Ballance has played in Zimbabwe ODIs and is now set for his Test debut (Getty Images)"I'm thrilled to be joining Zimbabwe Cricket and can't wait to start work with some great coaches and talented players," he said. "The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion and excitement for the game.
"I have kept in touch with a number of people within Zimbabwe cricket over the years and it has been great to watch their recent progress especially."