Zimbabwe appoint Ballance as consultant for England test

Zimbabwe have appointed former England batter Gary Ballance as a coaching consultant for a four-day test against their hosts in Nottingham this month, officials said on Tuesday.

Harare-born Ballance played international cricket for both England and Zimbabwe.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gary Ballance to our coaching set-up for this historic tour. His deep understanding of English conditions, gained over years of playing at the highest level, will be a valuable asset to our team’s tactical preparation," Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Givemore Makoni said in a statement.

Balance is the joint third fastest English player to reach 1 000 runs in tests, which he achieved in 17 innings, the same as current England batter Harry Brook.

Zimbabwe, playing a test in England for the first time since 2003, will follow that with a four-day game against South Africa who are preparing for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.