Gary Ballance

Participate in discussion with your fellow Zimbabwe cricket fans!
Googly
Posts: 14197
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:48 pm

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by Googly »

An interesting one is Rawlins. He plays for Sussex and has been there for years, but I’m sure I saw him in the Bermuda team, so I’m not sure how he’s pulled that off, unless he’s registered as an overseas by Sussex, but I doubt it.
Personally I think the rule is bullshit. What happens if a player genuinely wants to return to a country where he has a passport, but can’t represent that country until he does a residency stint?
ICC are essentially imposing a regulation that Mr Kolpak disputed and won, they’re denying a guy a right to work.

Googly
Posts: 14197
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:48 pm

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by Googly »

Come to think of it, Burl and Moor were out the country for a while when they were no longer minors, maybe they had to do a residency stint here, which is why we didn’t see them in the national side for a while.
Solly was definitely out of the country for a long time and he just pitched up and played! I’d forgotten about him!!
Maybe it’s if you’ve played for another national side then you have to do the residence, but if you’ve just played club or FC you can just breeze in.

User avatar
zimbos_05
Posts: 3057
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:00 am

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by zimbos_05 »

Googly wrote:
Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:56 am
He’s a serious captain as well, had stress at Yorkshire with captaincy and batting but he knows what he’s doing.
If you introduced Ballance, Byrom, Muyeye and Welch into the mix there would be panic from a couple of the incumbents, there would be no room in the Inn :lol:
Add BT, Craig, PJ, Ryan, Sean, Raza, Eltie, Murray, and there would be some tough decisions.
Ballance got a bum deal from ECB. He’s a seriously good bat and should have been given another shot.
I would just love to know what Muyeye’s plans are. This guy is an awesome talent.
If I was in charge I’d get those 4 back here regardless of cost, they’d make a big big difference. If Encore was around he’d remind me that BT and KJ haven’t really set it alight, but I’d have to painfully explain that it is a game of incremental improvements. I’m not saying the younger guys are automatic picks, Byrom probably is as an opener, we’d need to see how Welch and Muyeye would go, but I’ve seen enough of them over the years to know they have massive ability. You’ve got to watch these two T off in T20. When they’re running hot in my opinion they would be our best T20 batters, even at their young age. Muyeye really has sublime skills which I know he can take into the more competitive games and Welch has that ability to really change gear, fast hands and hits it a country mile.
Anyway, in another life I guess.
The sad part of this post is that it highlights just how good we can be, but how it will never be due to ego, arrogance, and racial agenda.

Train Driver
Posts: 2025
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:35 am
Supports: MidWest Rhinos
Location: Sussex

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by Train Driver »

Googly wrote:
Sun Oct 27, 2019 6:42 pm
An interesting one is Rawlins. He plays for Sussex and has been there for years, but I’m sure I saw him in the Bermuda team, so I’m not sure how he’s pulled that off, unless he’s registered as an overseas by Sussex, but I doubt it.
Personally I think the rule is bullshit. What happens if a player genuinely wants to return to a country where he has a passport, but can’t represent that country until he does a residency stint?
ICC are essentially imposing a regulation that Mr Kolpak disputed and won, they’re denying a guy a right to work.
In his case is it not simply down to the fact that Bermuda are an associate country?

ZIMDOGGY
Posts: 6647
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:40 pm
Supports: MidWest Rhinos

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

Gary is a Zimbabwean and will be able to come back once his period is up.

You have to think that after next season (when he becomes eligible) we will know whether he has a real chance of representing the old dart again or not. He will be 31.
If not, he should most definitely commit to Zimbabwe for the next 2x World Cup campaigns.

Ready made test player, and he might actually be able to get an over seas contract in county still.

We need these medium term solutions after the next cup.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:

FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay

'The' Gus Mackay.

Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.

**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?

A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*

User avatar
zimbos_05
Posts: 3057
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:00 am

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by zimbos_05 »

The question is, where does he currently stand in the pecking order? Is he considered a 3rd or 4th choice and on the cusp, or is he an after thought. If it is the latter, there is no reason why it would not be worth trying to go for him. If he is promised regular international cricket and able to play in the UK summer when Zim are not playing. I don't see why ZC cannot agree to something like that. Not like we have a domestic scene that benefits our players.

The only question would be whether he would be considered Kolpak. If he has dual citizenship, shouldn't really be an issue.

The main concern is why would anyone consider playing for Zim when you have a board run by a thug and his henchman, and there are constant dramas and politics, and not to mention the constant racial vibes, especially if you are living in a country that is fairly secure and have a career that provides for your family.

ZIMDOGGY
Posts: 6647
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:40 pm
Supports: MidWest Rhinos

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

zimbos_05 wrote:
Tue Oct 29, 2019 6:06 am
The question is, where does he currently stand in the pecking order? Is he considered a 3rd or 4th choice and on the cusp, or is he an after thought. If it is the latter, there is no reason why it would not be worth trying to go for him. If he is promised regular international cricket and able to play in the UK summer when Zim are not playing. I don't see why ZC cannot agree to something like that. Not like we have a domestic scene that benefits our players.

The only question would be whether he would be considered Kolpak. If he has dual citizenship, shouldn't really be an issue.

The main concern is why would anyone consider playing for Zim when you have a board run by a thug and his henchman, and there are constant dramas and politics, and not to mention the constant racial vibes, especially if you are living in a country that is fairly secure and have a career that provides for your family.
It feels to me that one tactic Mukhu has done smartly is look after the top 10 players in the system.

It’s been a long time since a player has quit in frustration. Yes there was Mire, but didn’t we always have the impression he was just a short term appointee from a comfortable life abroad?

My point is, I have no doubt that Ballance would be a star appointee and treated as close to royalty in zim colours.

Match payments have lapsed, but in reality it’s the second tier that gets fucked over. They somewhat cop that on the chin as they are probably told that in a functioning, or in any other test nations, setup, they would be no where near first class cricket. And truth be told that’s right.

But there’s a small sliver of players who aren’t quite up to breaking in our top 11 but are better than the usual plod in Logan Cup, that get fucked over. The guys that could be good but are held back and forced to leave or stagnate.
Jongwe, Mamba, Maybe Musakanda and Mutambami.
That type of player. I might be slightly off with my examples, but you know what I mean.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:

FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay

'The' Gus Mackay.

Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.

**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?

A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*

ZIMDOGGY
Posts: 6647
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:40 pm
Supports: MidWest Rhinos

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

If we throw the book at these players;
Adam Rouse
Blessing Muzarabani
Byrom
Welch
Butchart jr
Higgins
Curran (shit one)
Ballance
Muyeye
Evans (if Googly is correct, I have no idea about this guy)
We could realistically get more than half of them back.
Money talks.
World cups talk.
Travelling internationally against international teams talk.
Spending Christmas with the family over a BBQ talks
And again, money talks.

Pick any of those 4 from that list and wallah, we have genuine depth in the batting at least.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:

FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay

'The' Gus Mackay.

Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.

**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?

A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*

User avatar
brmtaylor.com admin
Administrator
Posts: 7924
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:22 pm
Contact:

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by brmtaylor.com admin »

A few problems with your theory:

a) we don't even qualify for World Cup's any more - so that carrot can't be dangled any more
b) we don't play any Test matches, so that one can't be dangled either
c) I doubt Ballance would be licking his lips about the prospect of a tri-series in Singapore (or Lagos, the way things are going) so the international touring angle isn't going to work

Would a Zim international player get more money than a well paid county player? I don't know, but why give up the comfortable life in England to find out?

Zim cricket's pretty much finished, there's not much point hoping for people to return until the country itself turns around. If and when that ever happens, I think cricket will have long since ceased to be a running affair. IMO just enjoy the last couple of years of Taylor, Williams and co because once they are gone we'll be in the Kenya/Namibia/Botswana division. Hopefully we play a couple more Test and ODI series before the last person to leave turns out the lights.

sloandog
Posts: 9843
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:28 am
Supports: MidWest Rhinos
Location: Manchester UK

Re: Gary Ballance

Post by sloandog »

Gary Balance returning to Zim, still, seriously..? Are we still singing this tune?
I think we still see Zimbabwe in a light which has long since gone. Even the dark years of 2005-08 we toured and we had sides touring. We don't even have that anymore and like BRM said, test matches and world cup places are no longer guarenteed.
As morbid as it sounds, we need to come to eventual terms that cricket within the country has long been dead and we are only surviving via the remnants of a once fruitful, efficient system (Taylor, Ervine, Williams, Chatara etc).

Post Reply