World No. 1 batsman in T20 Internationals, Dawid Malan, has said the top rank does not guarantee a place in England’s strong limited-overs line-up as he is gearing up to make the most of the opportunities in the upcoming white-ball series in South Africa.
The 33-year-old earned the top spot in the ICC T20I Rankings for batsmen last summer on the back of spectacular consistent performances with the bat in the shortest format of the game.
Malan further insisted that being number one ranked T20I batsman doesn't guarantee an England spot, rather, it adds more pressure and responsibility when it comes to performance.
The left-hander has so far amassed 682 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48 since making T20I debut in 2017. However, Malan has been consistently scoring runs and winning matches for England, but he hasn’t yet cemented his place in the XI, according to the cricketer, given the strength of options available to the team.
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He is currently preparing for the limited-overs series – 3 ODIs and as many as T20Is starting on 27th of November in Newlands and the batsman just wants to focus on making the most of the chances that come his way in the coming days, saying he will cherish the No.1 rank post-retirement.
Malan was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo, “It is something I will probably enjoy more when I have retired. It is not something I am really looking at right now. It doesn't guarantee runs, it doesn't guarantee you a spot in the team. It's something that, the day I retire, I will look back on it with fond memories.”
He further added, “But the higher your rankings in anything, the more you are looked to and the more pressure there is on you. That's something I am trying to not let affect me, by not worrying where I am in terms of No. 1, or 20, or 100 in the world.”
Meanwhile, the Englishman is also aiming to score as many runs as possible to put pressure on the established players in the England team in order to cement his place in the playing XI.
He further explained, “I can only do what I can do. I can't control selection. All I can do is put in the work in the nets and, if I get the opportunity to play, keep scoring as many runs as I can to put pressure on the guys that have the spots. Every opportunity is gold when you are trying to break into this team. I can only do what I can control and if that's good enough at the end of the day, then I hope it is good enough.”
Malan is also aiming to earn a spot in the England squad for the upcoming ICC events, saying: “I think everyone has to work hard to play for England. I don’t think it’s ever just given on a plate. If you look at the limited opportunities I’ve had since I first made the squad, you look back and think you probably didn’t get much of a run.”
He signed off by saying, “But that’s understandable because of the quality of players England have – they won a World Cup. So, the opportunities you get are like gold and you have to capitalise every time to be able to stay in the squad. And that’s the most important thing. It gives you a sniff if someone does go down [injured] on the day.”
