Mark Wood, Dawid Malan Raise Questions Over 100-Ball Cricket

England’s left-handed batsman, Dawid Malan has been left out from the squad for the one-off T20I against Australia and the three-match series against India. However, he is looking forward to wearing the pink jersey next week.

His county side, Middlesex will lock horns against Surrey in the Vitality T20 Blast. Recently, he spoke at length ahead of a gruelling T20 season. Malan also gave his opinions and raised his eyebrows surrounding the uncertainties of the 100-ball format cricket.

“It’s not to say that it won’t work but the T20 tournament for me is the one that will be recognised around the world, that all the players will play, that you’ll be selected to play internationally in T20 cricket, and I can’t see 100-ball cricket having a place if I’m honest,” Malan said at the launch of the Vitality T20 Blast.

It is going to start with the only T20I against Australia on 27^th June in Edgbaston. Malan praised the initiative taken by the England Cricket Board. He added the T20 cricket remains the priority. Malan further added the uncertainties surrounding the 100-ball format make the other players raise questions regarding it.

“Fifty-over cricket has been dying for the last 10, 15 years, but it seems to be getting stronger and stronger now with the way it’s been reinvented by the players, so I think it’s a good initiative from the ECB to bring a franchise system in, but I still think T20 is your key and T20 is what everyone associates with.

“I just think it’s the unknown of what happens if we don’t get picked up, where are we going to be, where are we going to play, will we play 40-over cricket, 50-over cricket, are we going to have five weeks off, what are we doing? No one really knows what’s happening and I think that’s why a lot of us are standing up and asking relevant questions,” he observed.

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The left-hander was awarded the Man of the Match in his debut county game. He scored 78 off 44 deliveries against South Africa. He credited T20’s for helping him to handle pressure a lot better than before.

“I think one of the major things in international cricket is to learn how to handle pressure.

“You’ve got to deal with the pressure and the scrutiny from the media and the thing that T20 teaches you is that you have to be able to handle pressure. If you can handle those pressures and be able to go out there and express yourself while you’re under pressure, while you’re being judged, while you’re definitely being looked at and broken apart in every aspect, it gives you that opportunity and gives you that mental strength that you need to succeed at Test level,” he added.

Another notable omission from the England squad is none other than pacer, Mark Wood. He opined the same with Malan and said the format might dent the confidence of the bowlers who have already been put to the cleaners.

Mark Wood gives his opinion on the 100-ball format,

“I think a lot of batters are queuing up for this in the competition. For me personally I’m not a massive fan of that, I mean I’d give it a good go but to think you could go for 60 in ten balls… especially if the first two balls go for six, you’ll be thinking ‘oh no, I’ve got eight balls to go here’ so it’s not going to be the best.

“It’s not the physicality, it’s more the mental state of getting hit for a couple of sixes early doors but if it is a ten-ball over then it could change the game dramatically, couldn’t it? Why not just have two bowlers that just bowl from one end each. You play nine batsmen and have two bowlers, we’ll get smacked, and you can just keep,” he noted.

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