Dawid Malan labels Jos Buttler "an inspiration" and is keen to emulate his teammate

AADAM PATEL: Malan has scored just 42 runs in three innings to date in the T20 World Cup and didn’t bat against West Indies. However, he is confident of making an impact against South Africa on Saturday

Dawid Malan has labelled Jos Buttler "an inspiration to all of us" after the England opener’s stunning start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The England batter, who has been replaced by Babar Azam at the top of the ICC T20I batting rankings, echoed the words of his captain, Eoin Morgan, in heaping praise on Buttler following his maiden T20I century against Sri Lanka on Monday.

"I sit there watching him and thinking, 'I wish I could do that.' That’s how well he hits the ball and that’s how good he is," said Malan. "Jos when he gets going is an absolute freak. You don’t know where to bowl to him. You bowl a full length and he hits for six, you bowl short and he hits you for six. He can scoop, he hits you all round the ground. You need about 15 fielders when he’s playing as well as he does and some more over the ropes."

Buttler has been in imperious form in England’s opening four matches, scoring 214 runs at a strike-rate of 153.95 and being dismissed only once. He has also hit 15 fours and 12 sixes, and Malan believes that there is a distinct difference with the manner in which Buttler strikes the ball.

"It’s hard to explain but when you watch someone batting in the nets, you just hear the way they are hitting the ball and striking the ball and the cleanness with which they are hitting the ball. Everyone at this level hits the ball well and clean but there’s a different sound with Jos. When I first joined the England squad years ago, one of the things that everyone said was that when Jos range hits, everyone stops and watches just because he hits the ball differently."

^{Jos Buttler scored his maiden T20I century against Sri Lanka}

"When we arrived in Oman, you could see that he was hitting the ball differently. It’s just fantastic to see that he has carried that on into the games and has made two match-winning contributions which is what you need from your big players in tournaments."

Malan is also keen to make those contributions after a sketchy start to the tournament. He wasn’t required against the West Indies as England decided not to send him in at three, before getting 28 not out against Bangladesh as England romped home. Scores of just eight and six against Australia and Sri Lanka, respectively, have further fuelled the debate surrounding his position in the team, with Tymal Mills’ injury potentially forcing England to select an extra bowling option.

"Obviously, the first game I didn’t bat, the second and third games I just had to finish it and I was disappointed that I got out in the third game. And then in the last game, I had a bit of time to bat so I was disappointed to miss out there. But I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, I just need to get a bit of time in the middle and get a score to contribute."

On how he felt after being pushed down to seven in the batting order against West Indies, Malan insists that he would have liked to have batted but understands England saw it as an opportunity to not only win, but significantly increase their run-rate.

"Look, I’d have loved to have gone out and batted but ultimately the aim of this team is to win games of cricket. It doesn’t matter who does that. We all know our roles, we all know where we fit in the team. As much as I’d love to have gone out and batted, putting the team first is probably the ethos of the team. We got our run-rate up there which was good and we won the game, and that’s all that matters."

^{Malan has scored just 42 runs in three innings}

England’s next match is against South Africa in Sharjah on November 6. Malan made his mark in international cricket with an onslaught on debut against the Proteas in 2017, ending on 78 not out off just 44 deliveries. His record against South Africa is seriously impressive, including 99 not out in Cape Town the last time the two sides met in a T20I and while he is confident he can carry on that run, he is also aware of the challenges that the slower surface in Sharjah will pose.

"I think the conditions we had out in South Africa and when I played in Cardiff against them are totally different to the ones that we’re going to have here. I think it’s going to be a different challenge. They’re obviously a really strong team and they’ve got some fantastic bowlers, especially at Sharjah, with the way that Nortje and Rabada bowl their lengths when they bowl there. On a slower wicket that keeps slightly low I think that suits them quite a lot so I think it will be a different challenge," said Malan.

"I hope that what I’ve done in the past against them, I can take that forward into this game with what I’ve learned from facing their bowlers and how I’ve gone about scoring against them. I might have to adjust a few things slightly to the wicket but it does always give you confidence when you’ve done well against a team before, especially when you play against them next."

However, whatever happens against South Africa, Malan, now 34, is just grateful to be representing England at a World Cup: "It’s a massive honour to be a part of any England team but to be part of an England team at a World Cup and part of this white-ball team that have been so successful over the last five, six, seven years is a dream come true. I'd like to get a few more runs and get us to that final, that would be fantastic, it would be a dream come true if we could get that far, without looking too far ahead, and then put in a good performance on the day."

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