Malan eager to seal spot in T20 World Cup team

Dawid Malan hopes he has ticked a few boxes for England during the last 12 months and is eager to put pressure on Eoin Morgan and the selectors before the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup.

The Yorkshire batsman considers himself a fringe player for his country despite a record of 661 runs at an average of 50.84 in only 15 T20 internationals.

While Malan has played in all formats for England, it is only recently that he has been a regular in the shortest version of the game.

That has largely been down to absentees, with Jason Roy and Ben Stokes not part of the series against Australia, but the 33-year-old has made the most of his chances with scores of 66 and 42 to help clinch a 2-0 series win.

Ahead of today’s third T20I, Malan said: “It’s been tough. We all know how good the players are that hold those positions.

“Their records over the last four or five years have been fantastic.

“For anyone to break in, you have to be extremely consistent and win games of cricket for England.

“Hopefully I’ve ticked a few boxes that Eoin, the selectors and coaches want and hopefully I can keep building on this if I get opportunities.

“I’m obviously aware that guys like Jason and Stokesy will come back at some point and it’s my job to score as many runs as I can in the opportunities I have to put pressure on them, Morgs and the selectors when it comes down to it.”

With Stokes and Roy expected to be first choice at the T20 World Cup, Malan could be out of the team or he may drop down the batting order.

Malan is confident about his ability to score on turning pitches after success in Pakistan and Bangladesh during stints on the T20 circuit, but will get one final chance to show his worth on the international scene today.

Dawid Malan: Out to secure an England place.