On a brutally hot day in the guts of the Outback, Ballance top-scored with 55 as England declared on 212-7 on a slow pitch with an even slower outfield.
But Matt Prior's struggles with the bat continued as he made just 19 against an unheralded attack featuring mainly players on the fringes of State cricket.
The home side reached 16-0 at the close, leaving pace bowlers Steve Finn and Boyd Rankin only Saturday's second and final day to convince the selectors that they deserve a call-up for the second Ashes Test, starting in Adelaide on 5 December.
If the muted atmosphere in Alice Springs was a respite from the noise and hostility encountered during the 381-run defeat in the first Test at the Gabba, the standard of the cricket will do little to prepare England for facing the pace and aggression of Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris next week.
But of the three players competing for the position vacated by Jonathan Trott - who has flown back to the UK because of a long-standing stress-related condition - Ballance found some form at an opportune moment.
The 24-year-old, who had scored just four runs in his two previous innings on tour and faced only 18 balls, said: "After a few low scores, you take a bit of time to get used to the situation. But once I'd batted for a few overs I felt comfortable, and it was just like any other innings.
"It would have been nice to push on and get a hundred, but I've given myself a bit of confidence, so if I get the chance then I'll be ready.
"It would be a great feeling [to play in Adelaide] but I don't want to look too far ahead.
"If selected, I think I'll be ready. The boys are working really hard, and we're going to be ready for Adelaide."
Ballance hit five fours in his 134-ball innings to steady the under-fire tourists after they had lost Michael Carberry for six when he clipped left-arm pace bowler Josh Lalor to midwicket.
Joe Root had been moved up to open, perhaps in preparation for batting at three in the second Test, only to be caught in the gully for 22 in the 15th over.
Prior has reached double figures only five times in his past 15 innings and will take little succour from his brief knock on Friday morning against a side featuring only one man, captain Michael Beer, with even the briefest of international experience.
Relieved of both wicketkeeping and his expected captaincy role so he could focus on his batting, he had already survived one chance when he was caught behind by 16-year-old wicketkeeper Jake Doran off the bowling of right-arm seamer and former sushi delivery-man Simon Macklin.
