Former World No. 1 batter Dawid Malan has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket at the age of 37. Despite being a top-order left-handed batter, Malan has not featured in a T20I match since September 2023 and has been consistently overlooked by the selectors. His omission from the T20I squad for the series against Australia, where younger players were given preference, reinforced this trend. However, Malan intends to continue his career in franchise cricket, participating in leagues worldwide.
Reflecting on his career, Malan believes he surpassed his own expectations in white-ball cricket but regrets not capitalizing on opportunities in Test cricket. In an interview with The Times, he shared, “Test cricket was always the pinnacle for me growing up. There were times when I played well, but in between, I wasn’t good or consistent enough, which was disappointing because I felt I was a better player than that.”
Also Read: Dawid Malan PSL Records & Stats: Matches, Runs, Average, Strike Rate
Malan also noted the demanding nature of Test cricket, stating, “I took all three formats extremely seriously, but the intensity of Test cricket was something else—five days plus the preparation. I’m a big trainer; I love hitting lots of balls and would train hard in the lead-up. The days were long and intense, and you can’t switch off. I found it mentally draining, especially in long Test series, where my performances dropped off after the third or fourth Test.”
He added, “On the field, I always did what I believed was necessary to win for the team. I never walked off satisfied just because I scored runs; it was always about winning. I would constantly question myself about whether I had made the right decisions to help the team achieve that.”
Malan’s international cricket statistics are impressive. He is England’s fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is, with 1,892 runs from 62 games at an average of 36.38, including one century and 16 fifties. In ODIs, he averages 55.76, amassing 1,450 runs from 30 innings with six centuries and seven fifties. He also played 22 Tests, scoring 1,074 runs, including one century and nine fifties.