Malan credits BPL for his success against Bangladesh

England opener Dawid Malan who led the side to a 137-run victory against Bangladesh credited his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) stint for his repeated success against the Tigers.

Malan smashed 107 ball-140 on Tuesday as his side posted a mammoth 364-9. It was however his second century against Bangladesh this year. Earlier in March, he played a 145 ball-114 run knock on a tricky Mirpur wicket to lead the side to a narrow victory.

His century paved the way for England to clinch the series by 2-1 eventually.

"I've been fortunate to play in a few Bangladesh Premier Leagues, to be able to play against these guys quite a lot and in different conditions as well and some good wickets in Chittagong and some sort of, I'd say, iffy wickets sometimes down at in Dhaka," Malan said after the match.

"So, you learn different ways of playing against the same opposition. I thought the one I had in the beginning of the year was probably the best one I've had in those conditions. And then to get them on a much flatter wicket, I was able to cash in as well."

Malan in fact is a seasoned campaigner in Bangladesh's domestic circuit. He played for several franchises in the BPL like Barishal Bulls, Comilla Warriors, Comilla Victorians and Khulna Titans.

He also represented Prime Dholeshwar in the Dhaka Premier League in the 2013-14 season, country's traditional list A tournament played by the leading clubs of Dhaka.

"I think the more you play against opposition, the more they learn about you, the more plans they have. But also, the experience that you have against them puts you in good stead of a sure day as well."

Malan however said that he didn't think that Bangladesh made a mistake by bowling first in a flat as there was some help for the pacers early on in the wicket.

"I think we were going to bowl as well. It rained overnight and I guess that probably persuaded both captains to want to bowl. I guess playing in India during day games, I guess it probably gets slower during the day, especially when it's a hot day," he said.

"There was no dew tonight, which, you know, usually makes the toss so important when you play day-night games. So, the day game, I guess it played into our favour that, you know, it got slower and slower and we were able to get partnerships. But, you know, if they got wickets early, it might have been totally different," he added.

/KN/