Canberra, Oct 13 (IANS): England top-order batter Dawid Malan has termed England's recent central contracts list as "slightly strange" after he was handed an incremental deal due to a large focus on Test cricket.
On Tuesday, Malan lost his full contract after being left out of the Test side since the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia. But the left-hander remains a pivotal part of the T20I side, as seen from his knock of 82 from 49 balls against Australia to give England a series win in Canberra on Wednesday.
"There's a slightly strange system with the contracts. It seems heavily led toward red-ball cricket. Hopefully, white-ball cricket can get recognised as Test match cricket does. We'd like to be rewarded for our performances for England, that's what contracts are for, and if you're ranked top-five in the world for three years, you'd hope you get recognised with a white-ball contract but that's not how it works," Malan was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Also, in the central contracts list, pace all-rounder Chris Jordan hasn't been given a contract of any kind for the 2022-23 season, which Malan was quick to note. "You have players here who are the leading wicket-takers in the history of the game (Jordan is England's highest T20 wicket-taker) who don't have a contract but those are decisions I don't make."
"Keysie (Rob Key) and I have had that chat already. There's nothing you can do about it. It's still an honour to play for England and I want to try to help win as many games as I can."
Malan, who dropped to number seven in England's first T20I win over Australia at Perth, was back to number three in the second match at Canberra and registered his 14th T20I fifty in his 50th match in the format to get the series win for England ahead of Men's T20 World Cup, starting from October 16.
"I feel like I've proved my point a hell of a lot before. Ultimately, the way this team is balanced, if we get to a certain stage in the game, I think everyone's very flexible in the way they're going to bat."
"It was the same at the last World Cup, we chop and change depending on whether we want a certain player in at a certain time, especially if we get a good start. As soon as we get a good start, the whole team pretty much pads up and waits for a nod," concluded the left-hander.