Star England batter Dawid Malan on Wednesday announced his retirement from international cricket.
He last played for England at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, but Malan has not featured in international cricket since.
During his career, Malan has played a total of 114 matches — 22 Tests, 30 ODIs and 62 T20Is — across all formats. He amassed 4,416 runs at an average of 37.74, including eight centuries and 31 fifties.
Malan burst into prominence with an attacking 44-ball 78 in his T20I debut against South Africa in June 2017 and was in this shortest format of the game where he proved to be real value. Malan, after announcing retirement, maintained, "It has been an incredible journey with the Three Lions since July 2017.
"It has been an incredible journey since July 2017, so I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to play for England in all three formats," Malan was quoted as saying by ICC.
Cricket is like most sports, an industry where nearly everyone retires and wishes they had done that little bit more. Be it ten Tests or 100, a lot retire thinking they could have played one more, scored some more runs, or won some more trophies," he further said.
The English cricketer further added that it was not easy for him but he is "genuinely satisfied.
At this very moment, as I retire from international cricket, I can say that I am truly fulfilled. It has not been easy. It may be my nature, but for whatever reason, it has always seemed that I had something to prove and often felt as if I was playing for my place. The pressure comes with the territory, but it does take its mental and physical toll. Even so, I look back with pride on what I have been able to achieve," he further added.
He had also been an integral part of England's T20 World Cup-winning team in Australia in 2022, but was ruled out of the knockout stage after he suffered a groin injury during the group-stage match against Sri Lanka.
Malan was also pretty effective in ODIs. Coming into the 2023 World Cup in great nick, in the period between June 2022 and September 2023, he scored five tons in just 15 innings and thereby nailed his opening berth in the squad.
He carried this form into the century in England's second outing of the competition against Bangladesh, leading his team to victory. Despite his best efforts, England's campaign nosedived as they were knocked out in the group stages and failed to defend their title.
Malan was a rare bright light throughout the competition for England, finishing off as the leading scorer for the team with 404 runs, including one century and two fifties.
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