Malan scales new heights with Bangladesh experience

Dawid Malan single-handedly pulled off a tricky chase for England as the visitors defeated Bangladesh by three wickets in the first ODI at Mirpur today. The cricketer had humble beginnings and put his experience of playing in the Dhaka Premier League and the Bangladesh Premier League to good use during a gutsy ton to help England to a win.

His unbeaten ton proved to be the difference in a tricky chase with Bangladesh spinners threatening to seize the game away from England. While English cricketers are known for making their careers in the English county, Malan did not just stick to experiencing English cricket.

He played for Dhaka Premier League side Prime Doleshwar between 2013 and 2015 and reminisced on the experience. Those two seasons allowed him to get a feel of the technique needed to handle spin and also how to construct innings better in conditions like Bangladesh's.

"I think Owais Shah messaged me that Ravi Bopara got in touch to play a few 50-over games for Prime Doleshwar. It was brilliant to play two seasons for them. It helped my game. You get to play the ball a lot squarer in England. Here, the wickets are skiddy during the day. It gets better as the game goes on and gets slower in the evening. I had to learn to play spin in a different way than I played in England. It helped my game progress massively before the franchise stuff happened. It was a massive help," he said at the press conference following the game.

He was not just content with featuring in fifty-over domestic competition in Bangladesh. Once the number one batter in T20I rankings, Malan also played franchise tournaments in Bangladesh, featuring for Barishal Bulls, Khulna Titans, Comilla Warriors and Comilla Victorians. His latest stint in BPL this year also saw him play two matches for champions Comilla Victorians.

"The more you can play in different conditions, the more your game grows. Whether you are successful in the past or not, it is just great to learn in different conditions. I have had some experience here. It is not the easiest wicket to start on. It is to trust the method to get through the tough times, and cash in towards the end. Especially when it gets dewy," he said.

The 35-year old has been a key batter for England in T20Is and despite having played so many times in Bangladesh, it was his first outing in an England shirt in Bangladesh. The depth in the England ODI side meant that Malan had to wait in the wings for his turn in the ODI team. He felt the 145-ball 114 today was one of his better innings given the match scenario.

"It is great to be playing ODIs for England. I have carried the drinks since 2017, waited for the opportunity. I only played 16 games now, so it is great to get a bit of a run. It is obviously due to the scheduling, injury, etc. I have absolutely loved it. It has been really good. It is always nice to contribute to win games," he said.

"I think even domestic cricket, talking about knocks that you, when you retire you can walk away, thinking it was extremely satisfying, this [innings] was definitely up there. Just the situation of the game, to be out there in the end. It is one of my better innings in my whole career," he said.