Hobart Hurricanes recruit Dawid Malan's exploits for England have seen him scale new heights in the official ICC T20 batting rankings
Hobart import Malan claims highest ever T20 ranking
Hobart Hurricanes import Dawid Malan has set a new benchmark for T20 batting, recording the highest ever rating on the official International Cricket Council ratings.
His efforts have also helped England take the world No.1 T20 team ranking off Australia after they beat South Africa 3-0 this week.
Malan, who will head to Australia for his first stint in the KFC BBL after England's ongoing tour of South Africa, struck an unbeaten 99 from just 47 balls in the third T20 against South Africa on Tuesday night.
There's a bit of extra silverware coming with @dmalan29 to the @HurricanesBBL in #BBl10. Player of the Match & Player of the Series in @englandcricket's T20 series against South Africa 👏 pic.twitter.com/aEHzfKZTXy— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 1, 2020
Already ranked the world's No.1 T20 batsman, his series aggregate of 173 runs in England's 3-0 win saw him become the first man to cross the 900-point barrier for T20 internationals in the ICC's batting ratings.
The 33-year-old left-hander now has 915 rating points, surpassing the previous record of an even 900 held by Aaron Finch in July 2018 after his 172 against Zimbabwe, which remains the highest individual score in T20 international cricket.
Malan now enjoys a 44-point lead over Pakistan’s Babar Azam, whom he overtook to become number one in September this year.
England's 3-0 result saw them take the world No.1 team ranking off Australia by a fraction of a point, but Finch's side can reclaim that position with a series win in the three-game Dettol T20 Series against India starting on Friday in Canberra.
England are ahead on decimal points from Australia with both teams on 275 ranking points.
Malan's unbeaten 99 came as England impressively chased down an imposing target of 192 to beat South Africa by nine wickets at Newlands to complete the clean sweep.
A swashbuckling, record-breaking reply by Malan and Jos Buttler helped England to their target with 14 balls to spare.
Buttler made 67 not out in a T20 international record 167-run second-wicket partnership, which came off 90 balls.
It is an encouraging sign for the Hobart Hurricanes, who have signed Malan for his maiden stint in the KFC BBL this season. The world's No.1 ranked T20I batter will join the club midway through the tournament.
The left-hander was named player of the match, and also player of the series having also scored 55 in the second T20I.
He reached 98 with a four that tied the scores and then appeared unaware that he was one shy of his ton as he failed to attempt a second run despite a fielding fumble.
"I didn't calculate that too well. Maybe I must go back to maths class," he joked afterwards.