Thought I’d never play another test again: Malan after scoring 80* in second inning at Gabba

England made a remarkable comeback on the third day of the first Test at Gabba. After being two down at 61 while chasing a lead of 278, England ended the day with some at 220 for 2. And credit for this remarkable comeback goes to Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who integrated a 159-run stand to initiate a comeback in this match.

Malan played a superb knock of 80 off 177 and looked to be in no trouble at all, compared to the inning he played in the first inning. He had the right kind of shots for every ball. He played on the merit and scored at a decent rate alongside his skipper to bring his team back on track.

Anyone who saw him bat today would think that the 34-year-old batter was in a great mental room to have played such a controlled inning. Malan, however, has a different story to tell. A story not many would believe in, but it indeed is true.

Talking about his position in the team, Malan said at stumps, “I thought I’d never play another test again.” With this comment, he was referring to the dismal spell of batting he had in the longest format of the game during India’s tour of England, where Malan failed to perform. The English Board somehow still chose to stick with him for the Ashes, and now the decision is paying dividends.

With England still 58 runs behind from taking the lead in this first match, Malan hopes to score his second Ashes hundred after four years tomorrow. His last hundred came in the 2017/18 tour in Perth.