“PSL was a stepping stone in my career,” Dawid Malan

September 17, 2022

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In a recent press conference, England batter Dawid Malan recalled his time in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and shared how it played a huge role in shaping his career at the international level. Malan represented Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi respectively in PSL, and is now all set to take part in England’s seven-match T20I series against Pakistan which will be played in Lahore and Karachi from September 20.

The player shared how grateful he felt for his break break in the PSL. “I’m extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to play in the PSL against the best players in the world, which is slightly different to county cricket. It sort of taught me what I needed to go one step forward, and obviously, it was a stepping stone in my T20I career,” he said.

Malan also talked about how his experience of playing with Pakistanis has been truly welcoming, on cricket grounds and off. “The hospitality has always been unbelievable. We’ve been welcomed with open arms, as we always have, whether it’s as an overseas for the PSL or for England. So yeah, it’s great to be back. It’s great to be playing cricket,” he said.

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Speaking of the upcoming T20I series, Malan shared his excitement and eagerness to see what the team will bring to the pitch. “Pakistan are a fantastic team, they’ve got all the bases covered. It’s always a challenge playing against Pakistan. I think this is going to be exactly the same,” he said.

“For many of them, this is their first time in Pakistan, for others we’ve been here a couple of times. So, it’s about sharing that experience about the wickets and the conditions that we can come up with, trying to give as much knowledge as we can to the rest of the guys that haven’t been here before,” he added.

The revival of cricket in Pakistan also held great value to the opener. “It is great to see cricket back in Pakistan, it’s a cricket-loving nation, who were starved of their star players playing in the green for a long time. So, just to play a small part in that has been very special and I’m honoured to have been given that opportunity by Pakistan,” he said.

To date, Malan has played 42 T20Is, nine ODIs and 22 Tests for England.