“I’d love to play for England again”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Newly appointed Yorkshire captain Gary Ballance has admitted that he is determined to resurrect his international career.
Ballance was recalled to the England Test team for their home series against Pakistan in July last year. However, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity as he only scored 195 runs at an average of 27.85.
Despite this, he retained his place for the tour of Bangladesh, but once again, he failed to have an impact as he only accumulated 24 runs in the two-Test series at an average of six.
As a result of his lacklustre performance, the 27-year-old was dropped from the Test team following the tour of Bangladesh.
While Ballance admitted that his priority at the moment will be to lead Yorkshire to as much silverware as possible in the upcoming county season, he added that he will also look to capture the attention of the national selectors and once again prove that he deserves to regain his place in the Test side.
“It is going to be hard,” he said. “But I’ve had a bit of success in the past, and I’d love to play for England again.
“I don’t see why just because I’m captain, I can’t have that chance again. But my main focus is different now. It’s to lead Yorkshire.
“You try not to worry about England stuff when you’re playing for Yorkshire, but in the back of your mind it’s always there.”
Elaborating further on his plans as Yorkshire captain, Ballance said: “As captain, it’s different. You have to think about leading the team and setting the right example.
“Hopefully if I can do that, get the team into winning positions as a batter and captain, the rest will take care of itself. I’m still a batsman for Yorkshire at the end of the day. If you score runs, people take notice. Like I said, that will take care of itself.”
Ballance revealed that he received the opportunity to lead Yorkshire while he was in India just before Christmas and took a week to consult with friends and family before accepting the leadership role.
“I was 99 percent sure I was going to take it anyway,” he said. “It’s going to be a massive honour. I feel like a proper Yorkshireman now. I’ve been here long enough, and I’m really looking forward to the season starting.”