Dawid Malan puts disappointment behind him with "extremely satisfying" hundred

Malan missed the T20 World Cup final after injuring his groin during the group stage win over Sri Lanka but returned in the first ODI against Australia to make a fine hundred

Dawid Malan responded to his "gutting" absence from the T20 World Cup final through injury in the best way possible, stroking a glorious hundred in England's ODI defeat by Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

England's No.3 pulled up in the field with a groin problem against Sri Lanka during the Super 12 and missed wins in the semi-final and final over India and Pakistan.

But he returned to action in the first of three 50-over matches, compiling a fine century while wickets fell around him. Pat Cummins called it "a magnificent innings" that only ended when Malan lofted Adam Zampa to long-on in the 46th over, having come to the crease when Phil Salt departed to the final ball of the fourth over.

"To get to the T20 World Cup final and be ruled out was gutting, so to come here, prove my fitness and score a hundred was extremely satisfying," he said.

Malan was one of four players who featured for England during the T20 World Cup to make the swift turnaround – the final against Pakistan was only four days ago – with Salt, Jos Buttler and Chris Jordan also involved in both.

Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes sat out the six-wicket defeat, rested after their exploits through an intense month.

For Malan, though, who has regularly asserted that 50-over cricket is his strongest format, this marked a rare opportunity in the ODI side. Until now, he has effectively been competing with Joe Root at No.3 – and no doubt Root will reclaim his place ahead of next year's World Cup in India.

^{Malan has played just 10 ODIs (Sarah Reed/Getty Images)}

But with Root on Test duty in Pakistan, this provided Malan with the platform for just his tenth ODI appearance – only his fourth at No.3 – and a chance to push his own claim to be part of England's title defence.

"It's hard to get into the team with how guys have performed the last couple of years," added Malan, who averages 64.71 with a strike rate of 96.58. "But if I keep doing what I'm doing, I might be part of that squad."

This series was also billed as Jason Roy's return to the international fold after being dropped from England's T20I squad, but he was bowled by a Mitchell Starc inswinger for six.

With Jonny Bairstow's broken leg likely to keep him out until well into next year and Roy's form a serious concern, Malan might fancy himself to force his way in as an opener. He made an unbeaten fifty against Pakistan from the top of the innings in the 2021 summer, when he was part of the emergency squad put together after a Covid outbreak forced the first-choice side into isolation.

And with Ben Stokes retiring from the format – though England will hold out hope of a return for the World Cup – Malan might also look to the middle order for a potential entry point. He made a run-a-ball half century against India from No.4 at Pune last March.

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