Dawid Malan relishing hostility of The Gabba’s Ashes crowd

England’s latest tour got off to a demoralising start as they were rolled over for 147 on day one and then watched as Travis Head’s fine century allowed the hosts to reach 425 in response.

But a crushing lead had been thinned out to just 58 on the third evening as Yorkshire batsmen Malan and Root turned the tide with an unbroken stand worth 159.

Malan, who started day four on 80 not out, is not in uncharted territory, having scored a fine century in Perth four years ago, but he was cut adrift after losing form and spent much of the intervening period believing his red-ball career was over.

He earned his recall in the summer through his efforts for Yorkshire in the limited-overs game, but believes nothing compares to the intensity of a long-form battle against the old enemy.

“I actually said to Rooty when were on 40 or 50 and the Barmy Army were singing, ‘I’ve really missed this’,” he said.

“I’ve missed having someone trying to blow my head off all the time, the crowd going and the adrenaline going, playing against the best bowlers going around. Test cricket is the pinnacle.

“To be able to stand out here in an England shirt...I’m so proud to do that. Especially to do it here at The Gabba in front of everyone. It’s just really good fun.

“You can do as well as you want in Twenty20 or 50-over cricket, but you’re judged a lot by your Test career at the end of it. For us, an Ashes series is the biggest series of our calendar so to come here and get runs against this really good attack is very satisfying.”

Over the course of his classy knock Root surpassed Michael Vaughan’s record of 1,481 Test runs in a calendar year for England and, with two more matches before the end of 2022, has plenty of time top up his total. “Joe’s record obviously speaks for itself, with what he’s done in his career,” said Malan.

“Batting with him is great because he takes the pressure off you, always looks to score and seems to find a way of putting the pressure back on the bowlers. It’s a great sign for us as a team that Joe is leading from the front.”