Former Yorkshire batter Gary Ballance has agreed to play for Zimbabwe, says the country’s cricket board.
The announcement comes a day after Yorkshire released the 33-year-old from his contract at the player’s request.
“The opportunity to represent Zimbabwe has given me a new-found passion and excitement for the game,” he said.
In November 2021, Ballance admitted using racist language towards his former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq.
Ballance was charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2021 relating to racism allegations, with a hearing set to take place next year.
In August, Rafiq said he had accepted an apology from Ballance and called for his former Yorkshire team-mate to be “allowed to get on with his life”.
Ballance played 23 Tests for England and 16 one-day internationals between 2014 and 2017.
The International Cricket Council’s rules state that a…
