Ex-England star Dawid Malan to play first-class cricket again for Yorkshire CCC as club looks to swell bowling stocks
DAWID MALAN, the former England batsman, has reversed his decision to retire from red-ball cricket and will play for Yorkshire when available.
Malan, 37, made the last of his 17 first-class appearances for the club in July 2023.
He had a white-ball only deal last season and made 12 appearances in the T20 Blast.
Anthony McGrath, the Yorkshire head coach, said: “Dawid is going to play some red-ball next year.
“His position is that he’s signed a white-ball contract, but he’s going to be available to play when he’s not away with the franchise stuff. He is keen to play some red-ball cricket.
“Dawid plays a lot of franchise stuff - he’ll be in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) draft, but we’ve had some good conversation and he’s keen to get back playing red-ball when available.”
PSL is scheduled to run from April 7 to May 20, clashing with Yorkshire’s first six red-ball (County Championship) games.
Malan played in this year’s PSL for Multan Sultans, following previous stints with Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.
PSL had previously taken place in February/March, but its window has moved next year as the Champions Trophy is taking place in Pakistan at that time, a shift that could become permanent in a congested calendar.
There is an ongoing dispute between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) concerning PSL and overseas franchise competitions.
In an effort to protect the domestic game (albeit the horse has long since bolted that particular stable), the ECB is refusing to allow England/county players to participate in franchise competitions that clash with the English season, with the exception of the most lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).
Although white-ball only contracted players such as Malan are believed to be exempt, there are no exceptions for any player wanting to take part in a tournament that clashes with the T20 Blast and/or The Hundred.
Much to-ing and fro-ing will no doubt take place in the coming weeks, with the PCA even said to be considering whether there might be a legal case against the ECB on the basis of restraint of trade, while there have been rumours of high-profile English players boycotting The Hundred.
But the upshot is that Malan, who retired from international cricket in August, could be available for a hefty chunk of matches for Yorkshire from late May onwards, both in the Championship and T20 Blast, as the club pursues its first silverware for exactly a decade.
Malan’s likely availability, allied to that of Joe Root potentially in the season’s early weeks and, possibly, Jonny Bairstow for an extended period, is being factored into recruitment plans.
Consequently, Yorkshire are looking at overseas bowling rather than overseas batting options, which makes it probable that Shan Masood, the Pakistan Test captain, has played his final game for the club.
In late October, Masood appeared to suggest as much anyway when he posted on X: “White Rose, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for being home to us.” Yorkshire have lost Matty Fisher to Surrey from the bowling ranks but have signed Jack White from Northamptonshire.
“We don’t know how much we’ll see of the England batters yet, so it’s hard to commit to an overseas batter when we don’t know who’s available,” said McGrath.
“But what we do know is if we get one or two injuries to the bowlers we’re going to be in big trouble, so I think we need to really look at that area to try and strengthen as soon as we can.
“Shan was obviously here last season, and I think he put some stuff out that he’s looking elsewhere because we can’t really commit at the moment to any batting spots.
"We’ve identified in the cricket department that we need to strengthen in the seam, so that’s what we’re looking at.”
In particular, McGrath wants more numbers to give Yorkshire the best chance of following promotion with the Championship crown.
The club has struggled with injuries to frontline bowlers, with a schedule of seven Championship matches in the first eight weeks about as useful in that regard as an outbreak of cholera.
“Just looking from last year, the players that have left, I think we’re quite short in the depth of the bowling,” said McGrath.
“Matt Milnes is coming back from a back injury, so is Matt Revis, so we’re probably short in terms of not quality, but depth, and if you look at the Championship-winning teams they’ve always had between six-to-ten very good bowlers who you can rotate
“Domestically, we’ve brought in Jack White, who I think is a really good signing, but it’s going to be hard to bring other domestic bowlers in.
“There’s young bowlers like Wadey (Alex Wade) coming through the U19s and Ben Cliff, who I think’s exciting, and then there’s the all-rounders as well, so I think overseas-wise it’s about trying to get some help on the seam-bowling front.”