LONDON: Dawid Malan has been called up as cover for the first match of England’s T20I series against India, reported ICC.
England have drafted in the left-handed batsman for the first of the three-match T20I series against India at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Malan has been added to the original 14-man squad after Tom Curran, the right-arm seamer, suffered a minor side strain. With plenty of bowling options in their group, England opted against a like-for-like replacement, instead calling up the 30-year-old, who has an impressive record in the format with four half-centuries from five innings.
Curran is expected to be fit for the second and third matches of the series at Cardiff and Bristol respectively.
“I got a message from [national selector] Ed Smith saying I had been called up for one game,” said Malan while commentating on the English domestic One-Day Cup final for Sky Sports.
“I’m just delighted to be part of the squad. [T20] gave me a great opportunity to show what I could do as a player and express myself. It’s nice to be in and around it again and back around the England boys and hopefully I get an opportunity.”
Malan struck a blistering 78 from 44 balls on his T20I debut against South Africa in June 2017 and hit back-to-back half-centuries versus New Zealand in February. He averages 50 in the format with a strike rate of 150.