England batter Dawid Malan has admitted he cried after being told he wouldn’t be picked for the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan.
Malan suffered a groin injury during his side’s final Super 12 match against Sri Lanka in Sydney, and missed both the semi final and the final.
The 35-year-old has revealed he was passed fit for the tournament decider, but England made the decision not to risk either Malan or Mark Wood, who had also missed the semi final.
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“We all have tough times in our careers,” Malan said. “Not being able to play the final was probably one of the toughest days I’ve ever had as a cricketer. That’s what sport’s like – it’s cruel sometimes.
“Understandably, the decision was taken not to risk Woody and me, even though we’d done what was needed. I had a few tears that night, you never know how many World Cup finals you’re going to be a part of.
“If you’re just not fit and not able to do what’s required, it’s probably easier to take than to pass a fitness test and still be in a situation where you’re still at risk and you could still let the team down by pulling up the next day in the second over of the game chasing a ball.
“Mark and myself had a two-minute chat. We both were gutted and then said ‘it’s not about us anymore, it’s about what the team needed’. It’s in the past. We’ve won the World Cup, that’s all that matters.”
Malan returned to the England side for the opening one-day international against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday, scoring 134 in England’s total of 9-287.
“To be fit and perform like I did, it’s extremely satisfying after the disappointment of last week – disappointment but also the massive excitement and elation of winning that World Cup,” Malan said.
“There’s so much cricket coming up and I’ve got so much to play for still in my career. I still want to push myself into this squad and still want to be at the next T20 World Cup as well.”
Australia’s top three of David Warner (86), Travis Head (69) and Steve Smith (80 not out) helped the home side to a six wicket win with 19 balls to spare.
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