Gary Ballance backed to return 'a better and stronger player' by Mark Ramprakash
Friday 24 July 2015 10:26, UK
England batting coach Mark Ramprakash thinks Gary Ballance has the right character to bounce back from his Ashes disappointment.
Ballance was the only player to pay for England's 405-run second-Test defeat at Lord's with his place, a reshuffle of their batting order seeing Ian Bell move up to three with Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow handed a recall to the side.
The 25-year-old made a flying start to his Test career, scoring four centuries in his first nine matches, but his form has taken a nosedive since May with just one score over 50 in his last 10 innings.
However Ramprakash does not expect Ballance's absence to be a long-term one, and he has backed him to overcome his dip in form and return a "better and stronger player".
Ramprakash told Sky Sports News HQ: "I am a massive fan of Gary Ballance,
"It was a tough decision to leave him out and I think the selectors will have pondered long and hard about that given the way he got 61 at Cardiff off 149 balls in bowler-friendly conditions.
"He's a tough and resilient character.
"He's got to go away now, having been left out, think about his game, think about where he can fine tune, look to improve and I think he will come back a stronger and better player."
