England ready to drop Malan in search of fireworks in powerplay

➤ World No 1 T20 batsman may miss out against West Indies ➤ Moeen could move up order after impressive showing in IPL

England are considering dropping Dawid Malan, the world No 1 Twenty20 batsman, for Saturday’s World Cup opener against West Indies as concerns grow about his form and suitability to conditions in the United Arab Emirates.

Malan has an outstanding record for England in T20 cricket, averaging 43.2, with a strike rate of 139, from 30 matches.

But there is a growing feeling that taking advantage of the fielding restrictions in the powerplay will be crucial during the World Cup, and his style of play – typically taking 10 or 15 balls to play himself in before accelerating – is ill-suited to the challenge.

In England’s second warm-up game against New Zealand here yesterday, he scored only 11 off 15 balls in the total of 163 for six, which set up a 13-run victory.

Malan scored 18 off 18 balls in England’s first warm-up match, the defeat by India, once again far below the scoring rate that the rest of the team managed.

Moeen Ali’s fine recent form in the Indian Premier League, when he won the tournament with Chennai Super Kings, has also endangered Malan’s place. Moeen scored an undefeated 43 off only 20 balls against India and now demands inclusion in the side.

If Malan were to be dropped, Moeen is the likeliest option to bat at three. Moeen has performed the role in the IPL, where he is renowned for attacking from the start of his innings and his prowess against spin.

Since the 2016 T20 World Cup, Moeen has a strike rate of 126 in the powerplay, compared to Malan’s 115.

Liam Livingstone has regularly batted up the order in T20 franchise cricket, but England believe his power adds a significant dimension to the middle order at No5, from where he scored a T20 century against Pakistan last summer. England have also developed Jonny Bairstow into a No4, although it is possible that, were Moeen to replace Malan at No3, Bairstow and Moeen could be used flexibly, depending on the situation.

While Malan has regularly played match-winning innings for England – he has been player of the match five times in his 30 games – his recent form has been less impressive. In 2021, Malan is averaging 26.8 for England, with a strike rate of just 114. His form in other T20 has also been underwhelming, averaging only 24.5 in his 33 games this year.

Although Malan could still cling onto his place, retaining him while selecting Moeen to bat at seven would mean that England have a weaker bowling line-up.

In such a team, Moeen and Liam Livingstone – two batting all-rounders in the format – would effectively share the role of fifth bowler. That is a particularly undesirable prospect in the four out of five England group games that are day-nighters.

The first stage of the tournament suggests that the dew is likely to be a major factor, rendering it harder for spinners to grip the ball, and could leave England at risk of not being able to defend whatever their imperious batting line-up can score.

If Malan were dropped, England could field either Chris Woakes or David Willey at seven, with Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid also offering lower-order batting strength.

Those opposed to Malan’s inclusion would have done well to compile a better case than his innings at Tolerance Oval yesterday. Despite a sumptuous square drive for four from his second ball, Malan still reached his customary 10 off 10 balls. By the time the powerplay was over, he had hit just 11 from 13 balls. After failing to score off his 14th, he then he attempted a reverse sweep against leg spinner Ish Sodhi and was lbw for an 11-ball 15.

While Malan floundered, England’s other out-of-form batsman, Eoin Morgan, mustered only 10 off 11 balls after promoting himself to No4. Jos Buttler’s 73, featuring murderous straight hitting against pace and spin alike, helped England set a reasonable target.

New Zealand began their reply with promise, but Mark Wood found impressive pace to take four for 23. Rashid’s three wickets were a major boost for England given his importance in this tournament. Tymal Mills also added to his claims for a place as a death bowler by conceding just 23 runs from his four overs, although Woakes appeared short of his best.