England vs Pakistan: Gary Ballance determined to relax and enjoy his second international life

Batsman admits he was too tense to enjoy his first spell in international cricket

Gary Ballance shows off his football skills to James Vince at Lord's (Getty)

Gary Ballance is not the world’s most recognisable cricketer – he’s no Kevin Pietersen or Shane Warne - but even he must have been a bit miffed not to have been able to gain access to the Lord’s pavilion during a Test during his last stint as an England player due to an over officious steward at HQ.

“I had to get a few of the England security down to let me in,” Ballance says of his Lord’s entry refusal. “It was at the end of a day’s play. I was coming back in to get a bag. I was wearing full England kit. But the lady at the desk was like: ‘not today, you’re not coming in, no ties.’ I didn’t think I was meant to be [wearing a pass] but hopefully I get given one this time around and I’m let into my place of work.”

Some egos would have been bruised. Not Ballance’s. “I thought it was brilliant,” he says while sitting in the Bowler’s Bar in the pavilion (the over officious steward must have been reassigned because the England batsman is tieless once more, instead in full training kit. “It didn’t bother me one bit.”

Ballance aims to bring this sunny nature to the fore over the coming days as he returns to the team to face Pakistan on Thursday in the first Investec Test. He admits he put too much pressure on himself first time around.

“At times last year, I was so uptight and I found it massive pressure,” he admits. “But this time round, hopefully, I can just relax a bit more and just enjoy it.”

Gary Ballance is bowled by Mitchell Johnson during last summer's Ashes (Getty)

Despite an impressive Test average of almost 48 in 25 matches (“Is it? I didn’t know,” he says) Ballance was dropped from the England side during last summer’s Ashes as he seemed to be creeping deeper and deeper into his crease and the runs, so free-flowing during his early international career, dried up. “I was gutted,” he admits. “You question your ability for a while.”

But he has been on the selectors’ radar since. “We have been in communications,” the 26-year-old says. “I’ve done the fitness tests at Loughborough and spoken to the coaches and selectors. They always said: ‘Get a few runs and you’ll be back in the mix.’”

Ballance was also on the winter tour to South Africa as a back-up batsman. Yet his inclusion for this week’s Test still came as a shock to many observers and to the man himself. “I was just quite surprised, because I didn’t even know the squad was getting announced that day,” he says. “So a little bit surprised, but overall it’s great to be back.

“The phone call was a great feeling. I’ve been on the end of a few saying ‘you’re not involved this time around’ so to get the good news was great. To be back at Lord’s… It’s gone well for me here in the past, so I can use those experiences and hopefully go well again.”

A timely ton at Scarborough for Yorkshire against a Middlesex attack containing two England players in Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones rolling in at the start of the month obviously helped. “I guess the timing’s right,” Ballance says with some reason because his early season form was hardly conducive to a recall. Scott Borthwick of Durham had been the favourite.

Gary Ballance celebrates his timely century for Yorkshire against Middlesex (Getty)

“The season started a bit slow,” admits Ballance. “A few decent balls, a few poor shots. The last few weeks I’ve played nicely. I feel good again.”

Ballance’s lack of well, balance, left him cooked during the Ashes, plus his habit of playing from the back foot. He has worked on these flaws – trying to be still at point of delivery but ready to spring forward - with the coaches at Yorkshire and England’s batting coach Mark Ramprakash, but the impression is it has been reluctant tinkering.

“There’s so much pressure, so many outside things, so much scrutiny, you feel forced to [look at your technique],” he says. “I changed a bit and that’s when I stopped scoring runs. I tried to go back to where I scored runs. I needed to work on a few things, the way I play is not perfect, but hopefully it gets me runs. I feel as long as I’m balanced at the crease, my head’s still and I move early enough, that’s the most important thing.”

Did the criticism hurt? After all, he was the third fastest England cricketer to reach 1,000 career runs, behind Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton, two pretty decent names to sit alongside?

“I tried to ignore it,” he says. “I don’t do any social media. But when you go back to your county and your coach is saying ‘you have to do this, you have to do that’ so I was definitely aware of it. If you’re not scoring runs you’re going to get criticised. That’s part and parcel of Test cricket. I’m big enough to accept criticism and hopefully work on stuff and get better from it.”

And now he intends to live the moment. “I maybe didn’t enjoy my success as much as I should have last time round,” he says - although he seemed to be enjoying it when he was filmed drunk and topless in a Nottingham nightclub two years ago. “I enjoyed the nights,” he admits with a rueful grin. “I should have enjoyed the days more. But coming back into the side, I’m going to appreciate it that bit more.”

Gary Ballance has found his form with Yorkshire (Getty)

He will appreciate being down at No 5 rather than No 3 where he was thrust in his first England life. That job has now gone to Joe Root, Ballance back down in the depths where he plies his trade for Yorkshire.

“I enjoyed batting at No 3 but it’s not a natural position for me. I had to play against the way I normally play. That was quite tough. But I’ve batted at No 4 for Yorkshire in the last few months so being back at No 5 is a nice spot to bat. I’ve batted there most of my career. Hopefully I can draw on those experiences.”

Ballance must be wishing he had been given the chance earlier in the summer. Sri Lanka did not offer the sort of bowling attack Pakistan will. But Test match cricket is tough as Ballance knows from his ups and downs.

“I’m going to be tested,” he admits. “But I’m coming into the series with a bit of form. Hopefully I can continue that and if I can get a few decent scores I can give myself some confidence I can play at this level.”

Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking