Performance Matters, Not The Rankings: Malan

performance matters, not the rankings malan (Dawid Malan)

World No. 1 batsman in T20 Internationals, Dawid Malan of England says the top ICC ranking counts for little and does not guarantee a place in England's strong limited-overs side. Instead, he admitted, it brings pressure.

"It is something I will probably enjoy more when I have retired. It is not something I am really looking at right now. It doesn't guarantee runs, it doesn't guarantee you a spot in the team. It's something that, the day I retire, I will look back on it with fond memories," Malan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.com on Thursday.

"But the higher your rankings in anything, the more you are looked to and the more pressure that is on you. That is something I am trying to not let affect me, by not worrying where I am in terms of No.1, or 20, or 100 in the world."

Malan, who grew up in South Africa, has scored 682 runs at 48.71 since making his T20 debut in June 2017 and he recently pipped Babar Azam from the top of ICC T20 rankings.

"For someone like myself who wasn't at the IPL, not playing cricket for two months, it takes a little bit of time to get into it," he added. "But getting back into the challenge of facing some bowlers is really exciting. You don't enjoy it too much when you are having to face Jofra and Woody in the nets but it gets the heart going and the adrenaline pumping, which is what you want."