Dawid Malan relishing Test opportunity: "I've really missed this"

The 34-year-old shared a 159-run third-wicket partnership with captain Joe Root on day three of the first Test in Brisbane, an experience he thought he'd never have again after carving out a niche as a T20 specialist

At one stage in the afternoon session, with the game in the balance and bouncers flying around his head, Dawid Malan approached his captain in the middle of the pitch and said "I've really missed this".

For although the match situation was tense and although he was, at times, fighting for survival, Malan knew that this was where he wanted to be. And, after three-years out of the side, he had concluded such opportunities had passed him by.

Malan is 34 now, after all. And, having carved out a niche as something of a T20 specialist – ahead of his Test recall, he had batted once in first-class cricket in the previous 12-months – he presumed England had moved on. As a result, he appears to be considering this recall something of a bonus and is determined to enjoy every moment of it.

He certainly looked as if he was enjoying himself at times on the third day. With his captain, Joe Root, he has so far added 159 for the third-wicket to keep England in the game. He will resume on the fourth morning in sight of a second Test century in Australia and, more importantly, with an outside chance of creating a match-winning position.

"I thought I'd never play another Test again," Malan admitted at the close of play. "I actually said to Rooty when were on 40 or 50 – we both had similar scores – 'I've really missed this'.

^{Joe Root and Dawid Malan added 159 for the third wicket [Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images]}

"The Barmy Army were singing, the crowd was going and your adrenaline is going. I've missed having someone trying to blow my head off all the time. You are playing against the best bowlers going around. It's good fun. It's really good fun.

"Test cricket is the pinnacle for me. You can do as well as you want in T20 cricket, 50-over cricket or whatever other format you like. But you're judged a lot by your Test career. To come to Australia and play against quality fast bowlers on these bouncing wickets is a real test.

"For us an Ashes series is the biggest series of our calendar. To come here and get runs against this really good attack is very satisfying. I'm so proud to be able to stand out here in an England shirt. Especially to do it here at the Gabba in front of everyone."

Despite the partnership, Malan is realistic about England's position in the game. They remain 58-runs behind, after all, and know that Australia will have a new ball to use early on the fourth day. He knows England have a lot of batting to do if they are to even contemplate winning the game.

"We need another 250 to 300 runs tomorrow to put ourselves in a good position," Malan said. "We need one more hundred-run partnership to put a good score on the board and then who knows what can happen?

"But we learned in the last series [in Australia] that as soon as we think too far ahead, you open the door for them and they're so brilliant at closing that door for us.

"The job isn't done yet. Just getting an 80 doesn't mean you've made it. It's about hopefully scoring the big hundred that will change the game.

"The first innings was obviously a disappointment. We hold our hands up. We weren't good enough and whether the wicket did a little bit or not, we're better than being bowled out for 140. So for us to come in after a day-and-a-half of hard fielding and do what we did here today was fantastic. But that's only half the job done."

Despite the disappointing first innings performance, Malan said the England batters spoke ahead of the third day's play and committed to taking a positive approach. And with Root in fine form, the runs get flowing.

"We spoke this morning and said we wanted to express ourselves," Malan said. "The last thing we want to do is just be sitting ducks and go out and not score. So the chat was about playing the way we want to play. If they bowl good balls, defend them but if they bowl bad balls make sure that we still have the intent to score.

"After what we did in the first innings we needed to park that and put that aside. This needed to be a fresh innings. It's really probably poor of me to say it, but we started that badly we had to park it. The only way forward in this Test was to actually forget what happened in that first innings and hopefully put into practise all the things we've worked so hard on in those quarantine periods. That was the key for us.

"Joe Root’s record obviously speaks for itself. Batting with him is great. He takes the pressure off you. He always looks to score and he seems to somehow find a way of putting the pressure back on the bowlers.

"His method just works everywhere he plays. For him to carry on the form that he had in our summer and at the start of the year has been fantastic. It's a great sign for us as a team that Joe is playing so well and leading from the front."

Our coverage of the Ashes is brought to you in association with Cricket 22

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