Chris Silverwood, the England head coach, admitted that Dawid Malan’s performances in the T20I series against New Zealand throws up a selection headache.
With an eye on expanding the reserve pool ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is now less than a year away, England rested a bunch of their regulars and brought in youngsters as well as fringe players for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand.
Malan, who had last played a T20I in 2017, grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The left-hander slammed 208 runs at the top of the order, finishing as the highest run-scorer of the series with an average of 69.33. The 29-year-old also scored a 51-ball 103* in his final appearance in the series, which came in the fourth T20I in Napier.
Overall in T20Is, Malan has 458 runs against his name from just nine matches – no batsman has ever scored that many after their first nine T20Is.
With those numbers under his belt, he has now made a case for a permanent spot in the side. However, with batsmen like Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Jason Roy and Joe Denly having established themselves as regulars in the batting line-up, fitting Malan in won’t be straightforward for England’s management. “It’s a conversation that myself, Morgs [Eoin Morgan] and the selectors have got to have. I can’t tell you whether he will or won’t [return],” said Silverwood.
“He is keen to stay involved and is a very, very good player. It’s a great headache to have. Competition for places is healthy. I would be more worried if it was the other way around.”
Despite scoring a record-breaking century in Napier, Malan came in for slight criticism from his skipper after the game. Morgan expected Malan to run off the final ball of the game for a bye, as Sam Billings failed to connect at the striker’s end.
Having won two Super Overs recently, the England captain appreciates the importance of every run. Silverwood defended Morgan’s reaction, calling him a “great leader” and an unselfish team player.
“Eoin has got very high standards for the team,” he said. ‘He’s very unselfish in the way he plays and that’s what he believes. Morgs is a great leader. We have to allow him to lead at times. It’s fine.”
