After being convinced a few months ago that his Test career was over, David Malan found a moment on Friday to stop and smell the roses as he and captain Joe Root watched England on the third day of the first Ashes. testing. With England in trouble at the start of their second innings, the pair shared an unbeaten 159-run partnership at the Gabba, which was a ray of hope for English fans after the hosts lost two days.
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Three years into the Test jungle, Malan was drafted to bolster England’s faltering top-order during the home series India and managed to stay in his place for the Ashes. On a hot day at the Gabba on Friday, with a belligerent pace attack thundering, Malan felt truly grateful for his fate. “I thought I would never play another Test again,” said the 34-year-old left-handed batsman.
“I actually told Ruthie when we were at 40 or 50, on a similar score, I told her – the Burmese Army was singing and what-have-I told her, ‘I really missed it’. “I miss…somebody is trying to blow my head all the time and then the crowd is going and your adrenaline is going up and then playing against the best bowlers around. You know, Test cricket is the pinnacle.
Australia vs England Ashes, 1st Test Day 3 at Gabba, Highlights
“So to be able to stand out here wearing an England shirt is, you know, a lot of pride in doing that. With Root, who was 86 not out, Malan helped England reach 220 for two Helped, which is already 73 runs better than the team’s first innings 147.
Still trailing by 58 after Australia scored 425 in the morning, Malan and Root have worked further to help England set a target their bowlers can defend. Malan will hope to score a second century, a rare highlight of England’s 4-0 series defeat, four years after his illustrious 140 in Perth during the 2017/18 Ashes. Root, dismissed for naught in a horror show on day one, will look to score his 24th century on Friday after breaking new ground for England with the most runs in a calendar year.
After reaching 1,541 runs for 2021 at stumps, Root surpassed former captain Michael Vaughan’s 1,481 set mark in 2002. “What Joe Root has done in his career clearly speaks for himself,” Malan said. “It’s great to bat with him. He takes the pressure off you.
“It’s a very good sign for us as a team that Joe is playing well here and leading from the front.”
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