The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
With Ireland’s visit for a six-match white ball cricket tour less than two weeks away and a Chevrons squad announcement all but imminent, the fate of former England batter Gary Balance, insofar as his long-awaited debut is concerned, has been topical over the last couple of weeks.
Ballance agreed to a two-year deal to play for his native Zimbabwe following his release from Yorkshire last month.
The news was readily welcomed by local cricket fans.
The 33-year-old played 23 Tests and 16 One-Day Internationals for England between 2013 and 2017.
He comes back with a wealth of experience, especially at the top of the order, which has been Zimbabwe’s weak link.
The fact that Ireland’s visit for three T20s and three One-Day Internationals will have no bearing on the 2020-2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League makes Balance’s inclusion and debut a no-brainer.
Never mind the fact that his inclusion will probably bring more eyes and spectators to Harare Sports Club, the venue of the three matches.
It would also complement the Chevrons’ resurgence following a near-perfect ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier, historic win over Australia Down Under and fairytale run at the global T20 World Cup.
However, the David Mutendera-led selection panel may opt for a more cautious approach and give the Zimbabwe-born opener time to settle, adjust and get some game time.
After all, Ballance’s last One-Day International was in 2015, during Sri Lanka’s visit to England.
He last played country cricket (T20) for Yorkshire in 2021.
Adding to the selectors’ headache is the fact that four of the Chevrons’ senior players are doubtful for Ireland owing to franchise cricket commitments.
They may be without the services of Regis Chakabva, who moved to Australia soon after the T20 World Cup.
Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl and Sean Williams are also doubtful.
The quartet signed franchise contracts with different clubs in Bangladesh, Nepal, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
With the absence of senior players, Balance’s return seems all the more likely.
Apart from Ballance, some of the players expected to fill in the shoes of the missing senior players are wicket-keeper Clive Madande, who deputised Chakabva at the T20 World Cup; Tanaka Chivanga; Innocent Kaia; Kevin Kasuza; Tadiwanashe Marumani; and Victor Nyauchi, who were reserves at the World Cup.
Chevrons’ skipper Chamu Chibhabha — who was the second-highest run scorer in the 2022-2023 domestic Pro-50 Championships with 391 runs from nine innings — could make a surprise comeback.
Brandon Mavuta, who emerged the best bowler in the Pro-50 Championships after claiming 28 wickets in nine innings, could also be drafted into the team to boost the bowling attack.
Meanwhile, Cricket Ireland national selector Andrew White has described the upcoming series against Zimbabwe as an important tour on the Irish cricket calendar.
“Ireland versus Zimbabwe is always a competitive tussle, and with both sides coming off the back of good performances at the recent T20 World Cup, we expect no different.
“2023 will be the year when we return to playing all three formats.
“However, with a T20 World Cup Qualifier in July and a possible 50-over Cricket World Cup in October — if we can qualify — the importance of this white ball series is obvious,” said White.
“The volume of cricket this year demands that we will need a broader pool of ‘international-ready’ players to meet the challenges ahead, and the Zimbabwe tour will be the start of that process.”
The two sides recently met at the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Zimbabwe secured a 31-run win in Hobart, Australia.
