David Malan hopeful of England recall ahead of Test summer
England face Ireland in a one-off Test on July 24, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 10am
Wednesday 17 July 2019 10:09, UK
Dawid Malan has not given up hope of an England recall after hitting a rich vein of form in county cricket.
The Middlesex left-hander, who played the last of his 15 Tests in August 2018, has excelled in the County Championship this summer with four centuries, including two in his last three games.
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With batting places up for grabs in the build-up to the Ashes series, which gets underway on August 1, Malan has genuine aspirations of forcing his way back into the England side.
"That's still what motivates me, definitely - I still want to play for England," said the 31-year-old.
"I got a taste of it and didn't score as many runs as I should have done when I got that taste. I was given an opportunity so I can't really moan about that.
"For me it's about scoring as many runs as I can in county cricket and putting my name in the hat. Hopefully if I keep putting my name in the hat, a call comes.
"But I wouldn't say I'm expecting the call to come. I'm just looking to keep scoring runs and if something like that happens, it would be fantastic."
Malan made his Test debut against South Africa two years ago and went on to score 724 runs at an average of 27.84, the highlight being his century at Perth during the last Ashes series in December 2017.
He was axed following a lean run with the bat against Pakistan and India the following summer, but has averaged 63 in red-ball cricket this season - accruing more Championship runs than any other England-qualified batsman bar Warwickshire's Dominic Sibley.
Malan has also won five T20I caps and was handed his ODI debut for a World Cup warm-up against Ireland in May, only to pick up a groin strain that denied him further opportunities to impress the England selectors.
England's attention now turns to red-ball cricket, with a one-off Test against Ireland followed by the Ashes. Make sure you catch all the action on Sky Sports Cricket from July 24.
