DAWID Malan's dynamic 76 from 48 balls helped England to an 89-run win at Southampton on Saturday (26) as the hosts claimed a 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 series.
Malan had managed just single-digit scores in England's two wins in Cardiff earlier this series and a lone fifty in seven previous innings at this level.
But the world's top-ranked T20 batsman showed his class during an innings featuring five fours and four sixes.
With Jos Buttler and Jason Roy injured, Malan opened with Jonny Bairstow and the pair shared a stand of 105.
England, however, lost five wickets for 19 runs, with Dushmantha Chameera taking 4-17, as they were bowled out for 180.
But a seemingly modest target proved well beyond Sri Lanka, who were dismissed for 91, with left-arm quick David Willey taking 3-27.
Malan's low scores in Wales re-opened the debate about whether he should be included in England's squad for the T20 World Cup in October, even though he came into 2021 with a remarkable average of 53.43 and a strike-rate of 149.47 in 19 matches.
Malan has been linked with a Test recall after making 199 for Yorkshire in the County Championship this season and with several England batsmen having endured a miserable series during the recent 1-0 series loss to New Zealand.
England travel to Australia later this year in a quest to regain the Ashes.
England and Sri Lanka meet again in the first of three one-day internationals at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday (29), with the tourists' batting set for another stiff test.
"We knew it was going to be a tough series coming into it, but our batting wasn't up to the mark," said Sri Lanka captain Kusal Perera after Saturday's match.
"That was our main issue. We couldn't get used to the pace and the bounce of the pitches and conditions."
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