Ashes call for Yorkshire’s Ballance but Bresnan misses out

Gary Ballance is the surprise inclusion in England’s Ashes squad for the winter tour to Australia, meaning three Yorkshire players will head Down Under to defend the famous urn.
Yorkshire's Gary Ballance has been rewarded for his prolific season with the bat. (Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)Yorkshire's Gary Ballance has been rewarded for his prolific season with the bat. (Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Yorkshire's Gary Ballance has been rewarded for his prolific season with the bat. (Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

The Zimbabwe-born left-handed batsman joins fellow White Rose players Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in being selected for the second Ashes series of the year.

Tim Bresnan, twice an Ashes winner, misses out on the initial squad selection but will travel to Australia to “maximise his rehab opportunities and the coaches will monitor his progress”.

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Ballance, 23, joined Yorkshire from Derbyshire’s Academy in 2007 and he only made his England ODI debut in the game with Ireland earlier this month.

Root, Bairstow and Bresnan all played their part in the recent summer series in which England defeated Australia 3-0 to retain the Ashes.

On the selection of Ballance, the ECB’s Geoff Miller said: Ballance’s international experience extends to a two-ball duck in a Twenty20 international against Ireland but Miller insisted at a press conference in the Lord’s Long Room: “There are no left-field selections.

“He’s played very well for Yorkshire so it’s not a left-field selection, it’s considered.”

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Ballance said: “I wasn’t expecting it and I was surprised when I got the call. I am looking forward to it.

“It will be a great lifetime experience. It will be an honour to represent England at the highest level and it will be extra special in an Ashes Series.

“I expect it to be a demanding tour, with massive interest. The pitches will be quick and bouncy and there will be a lot of pressure on us to deliver.

“No doubt Australia will be stronger and they will want to respond after their series defeat in the summer.”

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“I’m not thinking too far in advance about breaking into the team. I will work hard on my game. Develop my skills in the nets and practice and see what comes of it.

“There is a lot of competition for places, which is very exciting.”

Yorkshire’s Alex Lees has been named in the performance squad.

Monty Panesar has been named in England’s 17-man squad Ben Stokes and Boyd Rankin joining Ballance as an uncapped player.

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England squad (for the 2013/14 Ashes Series in Australia): AN Cook (Essex, Captain), MJ Prior (Sussex, Vice Captain), JM Anderson (Lancashire), JM Bairstow (Yorkshire), GS Ballance (Yorkshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire), MA Carberry (Hampshire), ST Finn (Middlesex), MS Panesar (Sussex), KP Pietersen (Surrey), WB Rankin (Warwickshire), JE Root (Yorkshire), BA Stokes (Durham), GP Swann (Nottinghamshire), CT Tremlett (Surrey), IJL Trott (Warwickshire).

England Performance Programme Squad: MM Ali (Worcestershire), DR Briggs (Hampshire), JC Buttler (Somerset), V Chopra (Warwickshire), BT Foakes (Essex), JAR Harris (Middlesex), CJ Jordan (Sussex), SC Kerrigan (Lancashire), AZ Lees (Yorkshire), TS Mills (Essex), J Overton (Somerset)*, SD Robson (Middlesex), RJW Topley (Essex), JM Vince (Hampshire), DJ Willey (Northamptonshire), MA Wood (Durham)*.

*Will not travel to Australia