Gary Ballance Diary: Sightseeing in Vegas

WIth the lads in Vegas!.

It’s been quite a while since my last diary entry, since then Yorkshire have lifted the LV= County Championship and I’ve been enjoying a bit of time off, including a few days in Vegas…

I’ve managed to get away from cricket and tried not to think about it or watch any cricket if I’m honest. I’ve gone away on holiday and had some nice weather which has been great. To get away from it and have a good break is important.

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One thing that was disappointing was missing the trip to Buckingham Palace to collect our winner’s medals.

I was holiday when the lads went and they all said it was great to go down there, see everything and pick up their medals so I was a bit disappointed I didn’t make it but I had arranged my holiday before we knew this was happening. They said it was a great trip and I’m looking forward to getting my medal, I believe one of the coaching staff has it so can’t wait to get my hands on it and I think I’ll get it framed.

Awards

I have been pretty busy since the season ended and the awards nights are always things players remember, we had the PCA Awards which is always a great night and it was great to see the Yorkshire boys doing well. Then the very next night we had our Yorkshire dinner which was a huge night for us after winning the Championship. We had lots of people turning out to support so it was two very good nights.

Alex Lees and Adam Lyth have been outstanding haven’t they? As a pair they have been brilliant and they have put Yorkshire into winning positions plenty of times and they gave us that platform for the bowlers to take all the wickets.

Opening partners

They are a great partnership and they thoroughly deserved all the awards they received after picking up the main accolades at the Cricket Writers’ lunch as well as PCA and Yorkshire events.

It was a mad few days around that time actually, we went down to London for the PCA Awards then back up the next morning for the Yorkshire dinner in Leeds before getting the train back down to London and heading out to Vegas with a few of the lads. We did a bit of sightseeing, went to see the Grand Canyon and… No, I’m only joking!!

I went with Joe Root, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes and Jade Dernbach so it was nice to get away and see new places and it was a good holiday and nice to have a break so hopefully we’ll be able to make it back there some day.

Las Vegas

We had a few pool parties’ which was really good but the group I went with had some bad clothes. I managed to keep my shirt on all the time to stay out of trouble!

I think cricket is like any job you do, when you have a break you want to get away and switch off for a bit, I’ve had a couple of holidays and it’s been nice so with a huge year coming up this is the right time to get away. This will help me when I start training and playing again because I’ll be fresh.

Luke Wright opts out of IPL

Luke Wright (©GettyImages).

English cricket star Luke Wright has decided to not to put himself forward to play in the IPL next year as he opts to start the season with Sussex for the first time since 2009.

Wright has missed the opening games of the County Championships for the last four years, 2010 and 2011 due to injury, 2012 and 2013 playing for Indian outfit Pune Warriors, yet the 29-year-old is determined to stay and England and help Sussex end a six-year trophy drought.

Wright said:  “The IPL is a great experience for a player and obviously the money is good but I am going to give it a miss next year. It may be something I look at again in the future but with it being my benefit year I want to be around for the whole season."

“I’m honoured to have been awarded a benefit and I don’t think it would have been right if I’d missed the start of the year by going to the IPL. I also want to play a full season if possible and help Sussex try to win things."

“We weren’t too far off in the Championship last year and I’d like to think we can challenge next season while we know we must improve in white ball cricket and so I want to be fully focused on that too."

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Wright will line up for the Melbourne Stars this winter alongside controversial former England star Kevin Pietersen, before returning to the UK in February.

Best ever 

The Englishman will be looking to build upon his best ever campaign with the bat, after he scored 933 runs in only 12 matches, and will be hoping that playing a full season can help him break the 1,000 barrier for the first time in his career.

“I didn’t miss out by many and if I’d played all 16 games I’d like to think I would have got around 1,200 or 1,300 runs,” said Wright. “A top five batsman who plays all the games should get a minimum of 1,000 runs so hopefully I can achieve that next season."

“I want to be scoring runs to help us be successful and it would be perfect if I could carry on from where I left off last season and help us win some silverware in my benefit season.”

Younis Khan breaks records with 25th Test century against Australia

Khan's off-field disagreements with the PCB could hinder his ODI chances (©GettyImages).

Younis Khan hit his 25th Test century as Pakistan fought back in the first Test against Australia.

Khan became the first Pakistani to score a ton against nine different nations, while also equalling former captain Inzamam ul-Haq’s record of the most centuries in Test cricket.

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Following time away from the Pakistan squad for personal reasons, Khan was dropped from the Men in Green’s limited overs side, starting with the ODI series against the Aussies.

Proving a point

He warned the selectors he would prove them wrong, and he has certainly done that with a fine innings against one of the world’s best sides.

Without him, Pakistan lost the ODI series 3-0, but look much more of a threat with him in their ranks for the Test series. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and opted to bat first, and Khan made the most of the wicket.

Nonetheless, he was made to wait for his century, taking 136 balls to even get his fifty. However, he demonstrated incredible patience in reaching the milestone.

The ton might make the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) think twice about leaving him out of their fifty-over squad, particularly for the ICC World Cup next year.

Pakistan were reduced to 7-2 after wickets from Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, and the extent to which the side relied on Khan for their revival is cause for concern if they are not planning to take him to Australia and New Zealand next year.

Following Khan’s fourth-wicket stand, the Men in Green found themselves with a far more respectable 219-4 at the close of play on day one.

“Sacrifice my future”

His century, which included ten fours, is yet another indicator that Khan intends to continue his international career, despite demanding that Pakistan don’t select him “even for Tests”, in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo.

Khan – who told the PCB he was “sacrificing (his) future” - has a strained relationship with chief selector and namesake Moin Khan, and that could prove an impediment to his future.

Though he remains part of the Test outfit, which he has been a key component of for almost 15 years – he, along with other veterans – is likely to now be discarded soon in favour of younger players.

Moeen Ali wont let 'haters' stop his England mission

Moeen Ali (©GettyImages).

Moeen Ali has vowed to keep his focus amid catcalls suggesting he should be playing for Pakistan and not for England.

Ali was booed by Indian supporters at his local ground, Edgbaston, this summer, but is determined to ignore the "haters" and insists that the heckling doesn't affect him in the slightest, although it does have an impact on his family.

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"No matter what you do, no matter how good you try to be, you are always going to get a certain amount of haters, so I just accept that and carry on. It doesn't really bother me at all," Moeen he told Sky Sports.

"I live by a phrase, 'A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep', so I just get on with it."

"I have had a lot of Indian friends who have apologised on behalf of other people for the boos, and it's nice, it's really nice to hear that. That sort of thing inspires me to keep going and not lose heart."

Disappointment

Birmingham-born Ali has revealed his disappointment at being criticised by local fans when he played at Edgbaston, despite living only five minutes from the ground.

"I did hear guys with Brummie [Birmingham] accents telling me to play for my own country, so it was a tough one. They were more Brummie than I was.

"But it was a shame because I only live five minutes down the road from Edgbaston, and my family were there and my friends were there and everyone was getting quite angry."

The Warwickshire all-rounder has spoken of his family's discomfort at the ridicule Moeen had received this summer, but he was surprised that no-one, especially his father, took any action.

Family

"I was surprised my dad didn't do anything, to be honest with you, because he is quite a hot-tempered person as well, so I was very surprised that he just sat there and watched the game.

"Obviously he was getting angry, but he never did anything, but I was looking in the crowd to see if there was a fight anywhere and make sure my dad wasn't one of them. I thought my dad would definitely lose it at some stage, but thankfully he didn't."

Ali has appeared in seven Tests for England, taking 22 wickets and averaging over 30 runs per innings, with a top score of 108 not out against Sri Lanka.

Moeen will be hoping he can ignore the taunting enough to focus on his career and cement his place in the England line up.

India overlook Gautam Gambhir's dispute with Delhi

Gambhir may be better suited to Tests, but can shine at the fifty-over World Cup (©GettyImages).

India are set to take Gautam Gambhir to the World Cup despite the opener having fallen out of favour in recent months.

The opener last played for the Men in Blue in a Test against England in the summer, a series which saw the Three Lions escape with a 3-1 victory.

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He was not selected for the ODIs, but has been given hope after being retained as Delhi captain.

After falling out with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in February when its chief curator Venkat Sundaram accused him of using abusive language, there were fears that the dispute would affect his chances with India.

Chances with India

While India have been accused of being too easily influenced by smaller cricket boards within the country, in this case, Gambhir is being given a chance to impress selectors ahead of the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Gambhir has also made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL), captaining Kolkata Knight Riders.

BCCI’s hands tied

In truth, the Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) have enough to be dealing with even without Gambhir and Delhi’s conflict.

In the last week, the BCCI have become involved in a venomous spat with the West Indies, who prematurely withdrew from the series between the two.

Unsurprisingly, that is taking up much of India’s focus; although a series with Sri Lanka is now set to go ahead instead, the collapse of the West Indies tour has not been forgotten, with India set to sue for damages and lost earnings.

Keen eye

Nonetheless, India’s selectors will retain a keen eye on Delhi, with their squad featuring a number of hopefuls, including Ashish Nehra, Unmukt Chand, Rajat Bhatia, and veteran Virender Sehwag.

Of all Delhi’s potential Indian call-ups, Gambhir is the most vital. He has established himself as one of India’s finest openers of the last decade, winning the ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2009, as well as being ranked the number one Test batsman in the same year.

Overlooking Gambhir because of his feud with Delhi would be severely detrimental to India’s chances at the World Cup, and it would be a huge shock if that were a risk they are willing to take.