Dawid Malan Retires from International Cricket: A Storied Career Comes to a Close

England batter Dawid Malan has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 36, marking the end of a distinguished career that saw him leave a significant mark across all three formats of the game. Malan is one of only two players, alongside Jos Buttler, to have achieved the milestone of scoring a century in all formats for England.

Throughout his career, Malan played 22 Test matches, 30 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and 62 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). His impact on the game was particularly notable in T20 cricket, where he achieved the world number one ranking in 2020 and became the fastest player to reach 1,000 international runs in the format, accomplishing the feat in just 24 innings.

Malan was an integral part of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2022, but he has not featured in an international match since the 50-over World Cup last November. Reflecting on his career, Malan expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to represent England. "It has been an incredible journey since July 2017," he said. "I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play for England in all three formats."

While Malan feels content with his international achievements, he admitted to The Times that he harbors some regret about his Test career. "Test cricket was always the pinnacle for me growing up," he said. "At times I played well but in between just wasn’t good enough or consistent enough, which was disappointing because I felt I was a better player than that." In Tests, Malan accumulated 1,074 runs at an average of 27.53, while in ODIs, he scored 1,450 runs at a remarkable average of 55.76. In T20Is, he stands as England’s fourth-highest run-scorer with 1,892 runs at an average of 36.38.

Born in London and raised in South Africa, Malan returned to the UK in 2006 with Middlesex before joining Yorkshire in 2020. In recent times, he signed a white-ball only contract and began a part-time coaching role with Yorkshire at the start of 2024. Additionally, Malan remains a prominent figure in franchise cricket, participating in leagues such as the Indian Premier League, Australian Big Bash, and The Hundred.

As Malan steps away from international cricket, his contributions and legacy in the sport will be remembered fondly by fans and teammates alike.