T20 World Cup 2021: "I think it is a role he does very well" - Chris Silverwood highlights Dawid Malan's importance to England
England head coach Chris Silverwood has underlined the importance of Dawid Malan amid polarizing opinions regarding his inclusion in the team. However, Chris Silverwood believes Malan holds the batting line-up together, which will be crucial for England during tricky situations in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
While Dawid Malan is the No.1-ranked T20 batsman, his ability has come under criticism due to him consuming too many deliveries. The left-handed batsman averages a healthy 43.19 in T20 internationals. However, he also slightly struggles against spin-bowling.
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Chris Silverwood defended the move by not deciding to send Dawid Malan to bat against the West Indies, saying it was about net run-rate. However, he asserted that England might not face the same situation and Malan is the 'glue' for them. Silverwood stated as quoted by The Times:
"Just because you saw what we did yesterday, I wouldn’t read too much into that. It was just us trying to get ahead of the game, trying to get some extra breathing space further in the tournament. We have a lot of power around him and just because we decided to go for power last night, there was a method behind that, we wanted to get the run-rate up. On other days we wouldn’t do it. To have him up the top of the order, he can act like a glue for us. I think it is a role he does very well."
Malan, who bats at No. 3 did not come out to bat at his usual position as England decided to send their stroke makers to gun down the target of 56 in Dubai. The Three Lions lost four wickets but won the match in 8.2 overs.
"It’s a start, that’s just what it is" - Chris Silverwood
While Silverwood hailed the performance against the defending champions in Dubai on Saturday, he warned the players against complacency. He stated that this was only a start and they have a long way to go. Silverwood added:
"I think you do take confidence [from the win] because it shows that the preparation you’ve done has put us in a good place to go out and perform like that. But at the same time, we’ve got to be real and this is the message I’ll be passing on during training tomorrow, which is that it’s one win. That’s brilliant, great to get points in the bag and get that net run rate up. But it’s a start, that’s just what it is."
The 2010 champions will lock horns against Bangladesh in their second game on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.