Dawid Malan said his record-breaking century was “as good as it gets” after spearheading England’s dominant victory over New Zealand in the fourth T20 International of the series.

Malan joined Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales as an England T20 centurion with a scintillating knock of 103 off 51 balls, helping the national side to a record score of 241-3.

The left-hander, who will represent Trent Rockets in next summer’s The Hundred, felt his game had fully clicked into gear after making some useful contributions earlier in the series.

“It's not very often you have days when every time you have a hack at one it lands safe or goes for six,” he said.

“In the first game I felt rusty. I didn't feel I had rhythm, but every time I've hit balls I've felt smoother and smoother.

“I said to Colly (Paul Collingwood, part of the England coaching set-up) this morning ‘I feel like I’ve got rid of the rust now,’ and thankfully it clicked here with the short boundaries.

"To do it on the biggest stage is a fantastic experience. The message is always the same; play aggressively and back yourself."

Malan’s brutality was matched by his skipper, with Eoin Morgan bludgeoning 91 from 41 balls before departing with two balls of the innings remaining.

“Morgs came out and took the initiative straight away,” continued Malan.

“I piggy-backed him a little bit, and was fortunate to be able to capitalise on a couple of loose balls as the bowlers felt under pressure.”

Morgan, meanwhile, was quick to laud both Malan and his inexperienced bowling attack, who were able to dismiss their opponents for 165 inside 17 overs.

“I am over the moon – it was a clinical performance,” he said.

“Given we had to win tonight to level the series, the way young guys came through with the ball was very impressive.

“To see Malan – a guy who has had limited opportunities – come in and make the most of it is exactly what you want to see.

“Dawid and I know each other’s games from Middlesex so everything was calm out there – we wanted to make the most of a beautiful wicket.

“Sunday (the final T20 of the series) now lines up to be an epic game.”

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Eoin Morgan’s world champions will face Ireland in a One-Day International at Trent Bridge on Thursday 10 September 2020. Secure your seats…