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GARY Ballance’s abrupt retirement last month might just have saved Zimbabwe Cricket the embarrassment of dealing with the consequences of his racist past.
The 33-year-old batter quit the game, just four months into his two-year contract with ZC, in what was a shock announcement.
Given he had fitted very well into the Chevrons set-up, making history as the first cricketer to score a Test century for two countries, his retirement was a surprise.
But, as the sanctions begin to be rolled out, for his flirtation with racism during his time in England, it appears the retirement was strategic.
He must have got wind that the England and Wales Cricket Board were about to punish him, for his part in the Yorkshire racism bombshell, which would have complicated things for him.
It would also have pushed Zimbabwe Cricket into a corner with questions being asked as to why they would continue to employ a man who was being sanctioned for racism.
The ECB have proposed Ballance should face an eight-week ban from cricket and also get a £8 000 fine for using racist language to a former Yorkshire teammate Rafiq Azeem.
Of all the six players, who are set to be sanctioned, Ballance will get the stiffest penalty.
It sends the signal that he was the worst culprit, among the offenders, in a divisive issue which has battered the conscience of world cricket.
Ballance apologised to Azeem, for calling him a “P**I,”which is a swear word.
The Telegraph newspaper also sensationally claimed Ballance “referred to black people as Kevin” amid suggestions it was “linked to the name of another player’s pet dog.”
He was cleared by the panel on allegations that he also referred to Azeem as “Rafa the K****r.”
Ballance has already accepted his fate.
“I did use unacceptable – at times,racist – language,” he said. “If I had realised how much this hurt Azeem, I would have stopped immediately.
“I realise that the language I used was wrong. I have accepted, from the outset, the words I used were wrong.”
Online Reporter