'Deep down, I was confident' - Dawid Malan happy to silence critics with World Cup squad inclusion

After failing to deliver in The Hundred and in the T20I series against New Zealand, Dawid Malan was under the scanner and was expected to get dropped from the ODI World Cup squad especially with Harry Brook making headlines for his incredible performances throughout the summer. However, Malan bounced back at the right time, hitting 54, 96 and 127 respectively in the series against New Zealand. 

Courtesy of that, the 36-year-old managed to retain his spot while Jason Roy was dropped in favour of Brook. Meanwhile, talking about the entire journey, Malan stated that it is incredibly satisfying for him to silence the critics by performing well and making it to the World Cup squad. The explosive batter also mentioned that he was confident of bouncing back and eventually managed to do so.

“The way everyone was carrying on, it was a possibility I wouldn't go. Deep down, I was confident. People judging me on a few [The] Hundred games and pushing other people based on a few Hundred games and a few T20 games - that was pretty harsh. When the time came I was able to put in some match-winning performances. To be able to silence the people that had me in mind to be left out... It's incredibly satisfying to get through that,” Malan told BBC in an interview.

I'm always one or two bad innings from someone saying I should be dropped again: Dawid Malan

Malan further stated that whenever his form drops, the critics always question him and ask the board to drop him from the squad. He added that he gets frustrated by the same at times but learned to deal with it as it now motivates him to get into the fight and get the job done. 

"I feel like I'm always one or two bad innings [away] from someone saying I should be dropped again. Sometimes it does get frustrating. The majority of the time I've managed to handle that and to prove people wrong. That is what gets me going, gets me into the fight and makes me tough it out,” he further added.

Check: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Teams & Squads