Former England captain Michael Vaughan has backed Zimbabwean-born England batsman Gary Ballance to make his Test debut next week in Adelaide as the visitors' batting woes continued in the two-day warm-up in Alice Springs on Friday.
Less than a week before the second Test, runs are proving as hard to find for England with the Chairman's XI batsmen capitalising on the industry of their bowlers, following which the visitors reached 7-212 declared despite the sluggish outfield.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, although Ballance, who was the only player from his side to pass 50 at Alice Springs, is not considered a sure thing to play the second Test, Vaughan said that Ballance's record in first-class cricket one-day cricket is exceptional for Yorkshire for which he deserves a chance to play in the Ashes.
Stating that the left-hander was selected not for the runs he scored but when he scored them, Vaughan also said that Ballance, who has a first-class average of 53, generally scores when the pressure is on the team, adding that this shows his ability to play under pressure.
Vaughan further said that Ballance, who is in the box seat to replace No.3 batsman Jonathan Trott after he was given the opportunity to bat at three ahead of fellow contenders Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, has got the necessary mentality to step up in Test cricket and face the Australian attack.
