Dawid Malan is the world’s top-ranked T20 international hitter, but he was not used on Saturday as England prioritized fast runs against the West Indies; Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton and CricViz’s Freddie Wilde discuss the move ahead of England’s second World Cup match against Bangladesh
How safe is Dawid Malan’s place on the England T20 team?
The number one batsman in the T20I cricket rankings is generally listed at number 3 for England, but against the West Indies he was nowhere to be seen.
Lower down the order, Dawid Malan slipped on Saturday as England looked to hit their target of 56 quickly, with Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone and Eoin Morgan coming in ahead of him.
Malan most likely would have come in at No. 7, but a No. 7 was not required with Jos Buttler pushing the win limit away as England claimed a six-wicket win with 70 balls to spare in Dubai.
Head coach Chris Silverwood said Malan was “okay” with the call, emphasizing his importance to the side as a “glue.”
Silverwood said Sunday: “It is common knowledge that we want flexibility in that batting lineup, we saw an opportunity to increase that run rate and we took advantage of it. So we did it, Dawid was good about it.
“We wanted to get the races as fast as possible to potentially give ourselves a buffer zone further down the line.
“The reason Dawid is on the side is that he can act like a glue for us. We have a lot of power around him and just because we decided to go for power this time around, on other days we wouldn’t.”
However, in the early days of the UAE, perhaps it was not an adhesive that England needed, but an artillery.
Former England captain Michael Atherton said: “It’s a pretty obvious point, and one that’s been made before, that if pitches slow down a little bit in the UAE and the ball starts to grab, then that game of power becomes exceptionally important, as it is more difficult to catch later.
“That accentuates the way Malan plays. Some players come off the blocks really fast, Jason Roy, for example, while others take a little time to get going, which is Malan’s way. That way has been. very successful for him, but in the UAE it adds to the question mark around his place. “
Malan’s international T20 average of 43.19 and strike rate of 139 aren’t bad at all, but those numbers drop to 26.80 and 114.52 respectively in his 11 international T20 innings in 2021.
Aside from a 76 of 48 balls against Sri Lanka at Southampton, he has only achieved double digits once more in his last six strokes with a 31 of 33 balls against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford.
His hit rate during all five T20 international matches in India earlier this year was 120, again below his career record, and in England’s two World Cup prep games prior to the World Cup. Malan did what his critics fear: he took his time. enter and then fall before scoring a substantial score, with an 18-ball run against India followed by an 11-of-15 ball against New Zealand.
England have kept the faith with the southpaw, but will they continue to do so?
Freddie Wilde, an analyst at CricViz, said: “England recognizes that Malan plays a very different role than Bairstow and Moeen and so on.
“But [the decision to move him down the order against West Indies] It shows some of the outside criticism, which starts out too slow and is not explosive enough, also takes place in the England dressing room.
“I don’t think that means they won’t continue to elect him, but I think it’s an acknowledgment that England understands their limitations.”
England appeared to clinch their team selection spot against the West Indies with the all-rounder Moeen (2-17) throwing four coil overs and enjoying the success of deflecting the ball from the lefties.
Bangladesh, England’s next opponent on Wednesday, a game you can watch live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event starting at 10.30am, chose three left-handers among its top six during the loss to Sri Lanka.
Wilde believes Captain Morgan can go in with the same three-turn, three-seam approach: Moeen, Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone were the turn options against the West Indies, although Livingstone did not pitch, with Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes. providing the step.
However, with England’s next game after that against a strong and right-handed Australia, Wilde feels they may want to bring another bowler into the mix, which could leave Malan sweating instead.
“I wonder if the balance of this particular team will be challenged later in the tournament – Australia, for example, has a streak of right-handers in the middle order after David Warner at the top.
“I think England is unlikely to knock Moeen out, even in games where teams have a lot of right-handers and not a lot of left-handers, as he is such a valuable cricketer and I think they recognize him.
