'Fantastic side': Pakistan has all bases covered, says England batter Malan

KARACHI: Flamboyant England batter Dawid Malan has termed Pakistan a “fantastic side” with “all bases covered” and said that playing against Pakistan has always been a challenge.

Speaking to journalists in the metropolis, Malan said that players who have previously visited Pakistan have an idea about conditions and they’re informing teammates about how things could be.

England are in Pakistan for seven-match T20I series which will begin from September 20 in Karachi.

“Pakistan are a fantastic team, they've got all the bases covered. It's always a challenge playing against Pakistan. I think this is going to be exactly the same,” he said.

“For many of them, this is their first time in Pakistan, for others we've been here a couple of times. So, it's about sharing that experience about the wickets and the conditions that we can come up with, trying to give as much knowledge as we can to the rest of the guys that haven't been here before,” he said.

Malan was one of the Peshawar Zalmi players who toured Pakistan for the first-ever Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in 2017 and played a vital role in the revival of cricket in the country. He has, since then, become a regular feature in the PSL.

Replying to a question, Malan said that being back in Pakistan has been fantastic.

“The hospitality has always been unbelievable. We've been welcomed with open arms, as we always have, whether it's as an overseas for the PSL or for England. So yeah, it's great to be back. It's great to be playing cricket,” he said.

The England batter, however, added that he didn’t have an idea of how important it was for Pakistan when he and other players travelled to Pakistan for the first time in 2017.

“I don't think at the time any of us thought how important it would have been for Pakistan cricket, it was a fantastic occasion, it was brilliant to come and see cricket in Pakistan. And, I don't think any of us thought that us coming over would have played such a big part in cricket coming back to Pakistan.

“So, it's a special moment for myself and for the other guys that were part of that. And, it is great to see cricket back in Pakistan, it's a cricket-loving nation, who were starved of their star players playing in the green for a long time. So, just to play a small part in that has been very special and I'm honoured to have been given that opportunity by Pakistan.” 

One of the top batters in the shortest format, he said that it was disappointing for the team that Jos Buttler is unavailable for the initial matches of the series, adding that “to lose him, it's not ideal”.

“But it gives an opportunity to other people, it gives a chance to Moeen Ali to Captain, who's also been fantastic. The long run is to make sure that those players who aren't quite ready for the World Cup are prepared. 

"So, it gives us an opportunity to build towards that and to ensure everyone's fit, and playing good cricket when we hit the ground running in Australia,” he added.

“Ultimately, we are here to win the series. We're here to play as well as we can. And we're here to give people opportunities as well,” said Malan, who has played 42 T20Is, nine ODIs and 22 Tests for England.