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ODI world cup 2023 Cricket

'Late bloomer, but bloomed very well' - Fans react as Dawid Malan becomes fastest batter in history to reach 6 ODI centuries

After losing their first match against New Zealand in the tournament opener, a win against Bangladesh is essential for the defending champions to stay out of danger.

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Mathew K
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Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan's big daddy hundred put England in command after the first innings of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. The southpaw produced a classy, ​​mass performance against the Tigers on Tuesday to help England post a massive total of 364 on the board. 

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After losing their first match against New Zealand in the tournament opener, a win against Bangladesh is essential for the defending champions to stay out of danger. Losing the toss, the England openers walked out to the middle and started the innings cautiously. However, once they assessed the conditions, Jonny Bairstow and Malan went firing. Both of them notched up a half-century before captain Shakib Al Hasan sent the wicketkeeper packing in the 18th over.

Then it was Joe Root (82 off 68) and Malan's turn to demolish the Bangladesh bowlers and they did so mercilessly. The duo put on a partnership of over 150 before the centurion was dismissed in the 38th over. In contrast to his usual playing style, Malan was an aggressor today, scoring 32 runs off the 26 balls he faced in the first powerplay. He scored 50 off just 39 balls and played wisely to complete the triple-digit figures. 

Malan broke a slew of records while notching up his 6th ODI ton 

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Malan took a single off Shakib's second ball of the 32nd over and completed his scintillating century in just 91 balls. The opener also broke multiple records in this landmark innings. It was his sixth century in ODIs and came in just 23 innings, making him the fastest batter to score six centuries in the 50-over format. Malan surpassed Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq's record, who took 27 ODI innings for his first six centuries.  

Malan is also now the oldest English cricketer to score a century in an ODI World Cup. The Roehampton-born cricketer, who celebrated his 36th birthday last month, overtook former legendary batter Graham Gooch on the list. After completing his century, Malan became more aggressive and smashed his next 40 runs off just 16 balls. While giving a finishing touch to his 107-ball 140 knock, Malan hit 21 runs against Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 33rd over, now the most any England batter has hit in an over of a World Cup game. 

 Here's how fans reacted to Dawid Malan's record-breaking innings against Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup: 

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England Bangladesh featured ODI World Cup 2023