Dawid Malan is one of the finest limited overs batsmen to have represented England in recent times. The 35-year-old left-hander was born in South Africa but qualified to play for England through his ancestry. After struggling to break into the South African national team, Malan moved to England in 2009. He worked his way up through county cricket with Middlesex as well as earned a call up to the England team in 2017. Since then, Malan has taken the international cricket by storm with his consistency as well as dominance in the shortest format in particular. In this article, You will look at Dawid Malan’s cricket icc world cup schedule journey so far from his early days to becoming the number one ranked T20I batsman in the world.
Early Days
Dawid Malan was born in Cape Town, South Africa on 27th June 1987. He grew up in South Africa as well as developed a love for the game of cricket from a very young age. Malan began playing cricket in his school as well as local clubs in Cape Town. He showed immense promise along with talent with the bat from an early stage.
Due to his impressive performances at the junior level, Malan got selected to represent the South Africa Under-19 team. This was a big achievement for a young Malan as competition to make the South African youth sides is extremely fierce. However, despite showing flashes of his ability at the Under-19 level, Malan found it difficult to cement his place in the senior South African set up.
The South African domestic cricket structure is very robust with many talented players competing for only a few spots. Malan struggled to consistently perform at the first class level in South Africa. As a result, he failed to break into the Proteas national team. With opportunities drying up for him in his native South Africa, Malan decided to shift his base.
County Cricket Career
Dawid Malan moved to England in 2009 in search of better cricket opportunities after failing to break into the South African national team. He made his debut for Middlesex county cricket team in 2010. However, the initial years were challenging for Malan as he struggled to cement his place in the competitive Middlesex lineup. Being a newcomer in English county cricket, he faced stiff competition from experienced local players.
It took Malan a few seasons to get accustomed to the demands of English county cricket. The conditions as well as style of play were quite different than what he was used to in South Africa. However, he worked hard on his game as well as started improving gradually. Malan focused on improving his shot selection along with consistency. His dedication paid off when he scored his maiden first-class century for Middlesex in 2013 against Sussex. This hundred was a turning point in his county career.
In 2016, at the age of 29, Malan was given the responsibility of captaining Middlesex. He led from the front as well as responded brilliantly to the additional pressure of captaincy. Under his leadership, the team started performing well. Malan’s own batting also reached greater heights. In the 2017 season, he scored over 1000 runs in county cricket for the very first time in his career.
International Debut
Malan was finally presented with an opportunity to represent England at the international level when he was called up to the T20I squad in 2017 to face South Africa. Having impressed for Middlesex in domestic cricket, the selectors felt Malan deserved a chance on the global stage.
However, breaking into the star-studded England limited overs lineups was always going to be a challenge. In his first few T20I matches, Malan struggled to make an impact with the bat. He looked nervous as well as failed to convert his starts. Due to stiff competition for middle order spots, Malan found himself in as well as out of the T20I team.
By the end of 10 T20I appearances, Malan had managed just 107 runs at a disappointing average of 12. His technique as well as shot selection came under the scanner. Many questioned if he had the game to succeed at the international level. With players like Jason Roy, Jos Buttler as well as Jonny Bairstow in red-hot form, Malan’s position in the team was far from secure.
Rise to Number One in T20I Rankings
Dawid Malan came into some of his best form in T20I cricket during the year 2020. He was in tremendous batting form along with scored runs consistently for England in their T20I series victories against Australia as well as Pakistan that year. Malan was the leading run scorer for England in both these series wins.
His performances helped England gain valuable ICC T20I Championship points. In the series against Australia, Malan scored 42, 55 as well as 21 runs in the 3 T20I matches. He anchored England’s innings on multiple occasions. Against Pakistan, Malan continued his brilliant form with scores of 54 as well as 46 in the first two T20Is.
This set England on their way to another series victory over Pakistan. Due to his consistent run scoring in 2020, Malan entered the 2021 T20 World Cup with high confidence. He lived up to the expectations in the tournament as well. Malan scored 55 runs against Australia in the Super 12 stage, helping England post an imposing total.
Conclusion
Dawid Malan’s rise to attain the number one ranking in T20I cricket is a testament to his hard work along with perseverance. After struggling to cement his place initially, he has become an integral part of the England limited overs team across formats. As seen in world cup 2023 schedule, Malan continues to be in superb form with the bat as well as guides the younger players in the team as well. If he maintains this consistency, Malan has the potential to finish among the all-time leading run scorers for England in T20I cricket.
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