Gary Ballance's innings of Rediscovery
Wednesday, 8 July. Swalec Stadium, Cardiff. First Test Match, Ashes 2015. End of the second over. Adam Lyth has just fallen to Josh Hazlewood. In walks Gary Ballance. He does not swagger in. It's not the walk of a man who recently became one of the fastest batsmen to reach 1000 runs in Test Cricket.
That confidence is missing. That spark is missing. That smile is missing. It is the walk of a man with just 177 runs from his last 8 first class matches. It is the walk of a man whose technique has been torn apart. It is the walk of a man who himself seems torn apart.
New Zealand did this to him. Trent Boult did this to him. He almost seems sorry to be there. He's lucky he's not on strike. He is nervous. He is fidgety. He is everything a Test Match No.3 should not be.
The first ball Ballance gets bat to is a half chance for Adam Voges at short leg. It's not taken. His first scoring shot is a boundary, edged, passing through the gap between third slip and gully. The Aussies give him a piece of their mind. He does not respond. He is under pressure. And he is yet to face either of the two Mitchell's – Starc and Johnson. He seems more nervous. He seems more fidgety. He seems completely out of it.
From strength to strength
10 Matches. 1019 runs at an average of 67.93. This was the start Gary Ballance enjoyed to his Test Career. It was exceptional. It was brilliant. It was phenomenal. It was also unexpected, for nobody ever believed in his technique. Nobody ever believed in the way he batted. Nobody did. Nobody but him. And he proved everyone wrong. Whenever he played. Wherever he played. He scored runs, a lot of them.
6.2 Johnson to Ballance. Short ball, takes the glove while hitting Ballance in the chest.
This seems familiar. Trent Boult did the same to him. Short ball, short ball, full length, out. Ballance is clearly uncomfortable. He is facing the heat. It is becoming tough to watch him like this.
6.3 Johnson to Ballance. Full length, outside off, well played for a single. Ballance survives. Ballance shows the first signs of some confidence.
More time passes, and Ballance starts to look comfortable in the middle. His head is stable. His feet are moving well. He is starting to middle the ball. He does not seem nervous. He does not seem fidgety. He seems to be regaining a bit of his confidence. He does not seem sorry to be there. The reason he failed against New Zealand was that he was not reaching the pitch of the ball. Slowly, but surely he seems to be correcting that.
43.3 Lyon to Ballance. Stretches out and drives him through the covers for two
43.4 Lyon to Ballance. Driven towards Mid-off, no run.
43.5 Lyon to Ballance. Comes forward, waits and drives him through the covers for a single
Even though these shots came off a spinner, it shows that his feet are beginning to move perfectly. It shows that he is not repeating the mistakes he made against New Zealand. It shows that he is rediscovering his batting. It shows that he is finally enjoying his batting.
46.2 Starc to Ballance. Full length, swinging away. Reaches out and drives it beautifully through the covers for four.
This shot brings up his fifty. This shot brings back the lost confidence. This shot brings a smile. To Ballance. To England. This shot brings back Gary Ballance.
The No. 3 England need to step up
This innings was a journey for Ballance. He started off in a miserable state. He ended it on a high. While an innings of 61 is not huge, the value of this one is a lot more. This innings allowed Ballance to rediscover himself. It allowed him to regain his confidence. It allowed him to smile again. It allowed him to be.
This innings was very important. For both Ballance and England. For, if England are to win the Ashes they require their No.3 to be in top form, laying the platform for the attacking players that follow, much like he did on Day 1. Or the entire summer of 2014.
While this innings does not guarantee a return to form for Ballance, it shows that the process has begun. Gary Ballance will be back again, sooner rather than later. He will score runs again. With his own technique. He will prove everyone wrong. Again. When that starts to happen, he will not walk the walk of a man torn apart, but the walk of a man who tears others apart.