Ballance will be 'greedy' in Manchester

Cricket365
August 6, 2014

England batsman Gary Ballance insists he intends to be 'greedy' in terms of runs in the fourth Test against India in Manchester this week, looking to add to his impressive run of form this English summer.

The number three is the highest run-scorer of the series so far, and the only batsman with two centuries. He has no intention of stopping now, with the series tied at one all going to Old Trafford.

Ballance told <i>Sky Sports</i>: "It's nice that I've brought a bit of form in from the County Championship and it's nice that I've kicked on a bit and got some good scores.

"But, you know, like everyone will say to you, you can't take form for granted – you've really got to be greedy and hopefully I can build on those scores and get another score which will put England in a winning position."

As for the track at Old Trafford, Ballance said he expected it to play a bit quicker than the previous three venues: "I've heard it's going to be a bit quicker, so we'll see.

"I think it's a kind of pitch that's got a bit of something for everyone – a bit of pace and bounce early on in the game and then it spins towards the end.

"So it's probably going to be something for everything and just be a good cricket wicket and hopefully if the weather stays good, it will be a good game."

He then added of the drama between James Anderson and Ravi Jadeja, still rumbling behind the scenes: "There's going to be tension, it's going to be tough and it's going to be hard cricket and hopefully what's happened off the field can be forgotten about – we can just concentrate on playing cricket."