English hitter Dawid Malan’s impeccable consistency with the bat in T20Is has earned him comparisons to arguably the best hitter of all Virat Kohli formats today. Malan, who averages more than fifty in each alternate game, has seven half centuries and one century in just 16 innings. Despite these staggering numbers, the England southpaw says he is “nowhere to be found” like Virat Kohli.
“I don’t think I’m close to Virat Kohli and those guys, although the numbers suggest. It could be that if I played 50 games then it can be compared to me to some extent, ”Malan told ESPNcricinfo.
Malan is not far from the truth. Despite high performances early in his career, Malan’s average is still below that of Virat Kohli, who averages 50.8 and is currently the highest run scorer in T20I with 2,794 runs in 76 innings.
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Batting at number three, Malan has had a sensational record thus far, scoring 682 runs, averaging 48.71. The 33-year-old was able to play regularly against Pakistan and Australia in the absence of Jason Roy and Ben Stokes.
“The type of player that I am, I really like to know where I stand in the team setup, that’s why I said that when you play in the series you know exactly what you’re going to do.
Not being a safe starter on the team is tough, but Malan, who was called former England captain Naseer Hussain an incredibly consistent player, said he is doing what is in his control and that is to keep racking up runs.
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“It was tough. We all know how good the players in those positions are. His records for the last four or five years have been fantastic. For someone to get in, they have to be extremely consistent and win cricket matches for England, ”he said.
Malan had scored 66 wins in the first T20I against Australia, which turned out to be a deciding factor for both sides.
“Obviously I’m aware that guys like Jason and Stokesy are going to come back at some point, and it’s my job to score as many runs as I can on the opportunities I have to pressure them and Morgs (Morgan) and the selectors when it comes down to that.”
(With PTI inputs)
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