Malan out to prove he is man for all formats for England
DAWID MALAN was one of the few England players to bolster their reputation during the Ashes Test series and is now desperate to make up for lost time in white-ball cricket.
Malan was the tourists’ topscorer in their 4-0 Test defeat by Australia, making 383 runs at 42.55 and banking an emotional maiden century at the WACA.
He arrived Down Under as a 30-year-old rookie at international level, after more than a decade vying in vain for attention on the county circuit, but he left with his credentials underlined in bold.
Yet it was back to the benches once the one-day series started, with Malan an unused squad member during England’s retaliatory 4-1 success.
With Joe Root rested he could return to the stage tomorrow, when England open their TransTasman T20 series against Australia in Hobart, and he will do so as a man on a mission.
“In my career so far all I have ever asked for is a chance to show what I can do,” he said.
“You can score a lot of runs at domestic level but you never know whether you can make it at international cricket.
“The only way you can see if you can – and people can see that you can – is to get an opportunity.
“That doesn’t mean handing out caps for the sake of it, you have still got to break your way in. This is hopefully another chance to show what I can do.”
Malan has long considered one-day cricket his likeliest route to the top, backing up his domestic form with eye-catching hundreds for England Lions and in last year’s resurrected North v South series.
“I’ve dominated Lions 50-over cricket... that is the cricket I have produced to show I can play for England – it’s just trying to find some clarity on how I can get into that one-day squad,” he added.