Pakistan vs England 2016: Gary Ballance surprised at Test recall

Ballance, who was dropped for the English Test side since the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's in 2015, said that he too was surprised by hi selection for the Pakistan series.

As England announced their 14-man squad for the upcoming first Tests against Pakistan in July, it also saw the Test recall of Gary Ballance after a long time. His selection in the side came as a surprise, as he only managed to score 471 runs with an average of 33.64 in the ongoing season in the County Championship for Yorkshire. Ballance, who was dropped for the English Test side since the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s in 2015, said that he too was surprised by hi selection for the Pakistan series, and was not expecting so. However, he believed that his hard-work has paid off, as he focused to improve his game and is confident that he will indeed attain success against Pakistan. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2016, 1st Test at Lord’s

“It’s all come as a bit of a surprise but it is a great feeling to be back in the squad,” he said. “It was about this time of year that I got left out and it does feel a long time ago now. I’ve had some time away, the chance to work on my game and I feel like I’ve got back to where I want to be. Lord’s holds great memories for me. I can draw on those experiences and hopefully they can stand me in good stead,” he added, reports cricbuzz.com. Meanwhile, selectors have revealed that Ballance would be batting at the number five spot, while Joe Root would take up the number three spot, a spot that England coach Trevor Bayliss had been struggling to fill in.

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