Dawid Malan was one name which was in the minds of every cricket fan heading into 2021. The left-handed batsman had attained the number one position on the ICC T20I Rankings for Batsmen. With IPL Auction 2021 and India vs England series on the cards, many Indian fans were excited to see Dawid Malan.
It is not that they had never watched Malan play before, but the left-handed batsman had made a huge name for himself. The fans were looking forward to see how he performs in Indian conditions. While he did an average job in the India series, he can be a match-winner for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2021.
Speaking of Dawid Malan, here are seven interesting facts you need to know about the English batsman.
1. Dawid Malan started playing domestic cricket in South Africa
The England cricket team has always been in the news for assembling an XI featuring multiple players born outside England. While Malan was born in England, he studied in Paarl Boys High School.
Not only that Malan played domestic cricket in South Africa before moving to England. He made his first-class and List-A debut for Boland before switching to English county Middlesex.
2. He made his T20 debut under Scott Styris
Scott Styris is one of the best all-rounders in New Zealand cricket history. During the 2006/07 season, Styris captained the Middlesex county in T20 cricket.
Dawid Malan received his maiden T20 cap for Middlesex when Styris was the skipper. It was way back on July 7, 2006 in a game against Surrey.
3. He has scored five T20 hundreds
The reason why England included Malan in their limited-overs team was because of his splendid form in the shorter formats. He performed well in county cricket as well as league cricket.
So far, Malan has played 228 T20 matches in his career, aggregating 6,265 runs at a strike rate of 128.4. Malan has five centuries and 36 fifties to his name in T20s.
4. He has more than 11,000 first-class runs
While it may look like Dawid Malan has only focused on white-ball cricket, the same is not the case. Malan has played 191 first-class matches in his career so far.
In those matches, the left-handed batsman has amassed 11,561 runs at an average of 37.90. His highest score in first-class cricket is 219, while he has 26 tons in the longer format.
5. Dawid Malan has one five-wicket haul to his name
Another misconception that fans might have about Dawid Malan is that he would not be bowling much. However, the truth is he has taken more than 100 wickets in domestic cricket.
Malan bowls leg-spin and also has a five-wicket haul to his name in first-class cricket. His best bowling figures in the longer format of the game are 5/61.
6. He belongs to family of cricketers
Interestingly, Dawid Malan’s father name was also Dawid. They both have the same name Dawid Johannes Malan, and the father played domestic cricket in South Africa for Northerns and Western Province.
Another surprising fact about Dawid is that he a brother named Charl Malan. Charl has played four first-class matches in his career, scoring 43 runs and picking up four wickets.
7. He holds a world record
According to Sportskeeda, Dawid Malan holds the world record for the highest individual score by a batsman at number six in T20 cricket. His score was 103 off 54 balls in that game.
It was the quarterfinal match of the Twenty20 Cup 2008, where Middlesex were down to 21/4 against Lancashire. However, Malan saved the day with a brilliant century and helped Middlesex qualify for semifinal.
