Ben Gardner picks out six things we learned from England’s latest white-ball series win over Australia.

Dawid Malan edges closer to first choice

After the series had ended, the ICC confirmed what not even the man himself believes to be true: that Dawid Malan is the best T20I batsman in the world. In a way, this was just another series in which the adopted Yorkshireman did what he always has – start slowly each time, and more often than not accelerate rapidly. But his continued consistency, and the extent to which he catches up – he ended the first T20I with a better strike-rate than Jos Buttler – means the doubters are growing quieter by the innings.

None of the solutions for fitting him in when everyone is back are perfect; England arguably already have one too many players best suited to batting in the top order. But it might be that one of them will need to be employed any way, because Malan might be too good to leave out.

Jos Buttler is a cut above as an opener, but debate over best role rages on

It would be all too easy to look at the wicketkeeper’s pair of pyrotechnic hands and decide that that settles it; that he must be an opener come what may, and the rest will just have to deal with it. But the argument has never been about how good Buttler is as an opener. Rather, the issue is he is one of the few capable of fulfilling a finishing role, and in his second-game 70-odd, he topped and tailed the innings to keep the debate running on.

England’s quicks lay down a marker

‘Aw Jesus’ went the cry, just audible in the stump mic as Jofra Archer ripped David Warner’s glove three balls into the second T20I. It felt like not just an expression of surprise at the quality and speed of the delivery bowled by England’s most exciting young quick, but perhaps one of trepidation, of realising that this is what the Aussies had coming their way in just over a year’s time down under. Mark Wood tore in just as rapidly to claim another couple, and England’s T20I powerplay woes began to melt away too.

Australia have even less idea of their best team than England

Alex Carey started at No.6, was promoted to first drop, and then dropped altogether. Marcus Stonis had a similar ascension, though looked closer to the part. Matthew Wade played the shot of the series in the third T20I, but was asked to open, which feels like the one slot Australia have nailed down. Ashton Agar looks too high at No.7. Josh Hazlewood played his first T20I in four years and looked the part, but again, it’s hard to see where he fits in.

For all the debate about England’s best top three, most suitable finishers and most deadly bowlers up top, they are at least edging closer to finding the answers, and certainly have fewer questions overall than the No.1 ranked side in the world.

Adil Rashid is a cut above

We already knew this, of course, but contrasting his accurate, incisive efforts to the profligacy of Adam Zampa merely underlined how good England’s leggie now is. He struck with the last ball of each of his spells, demonstrating the danger he poses whenever he bowls, and is edging ever closer to being judged the best white-ball spinner in the world.

Eoin Morgan’s stature grows in his absence

He might only have scored 12 runs in two knocks, but England’s limited-overs supremo was sorely missed in the third T20I, and that’s not just a reference to how painful his wonky finger dislocation in the second game looked. Moeen Ali is no mug as skipper, as he has shown time and again for Worcestershire Rapids in the Blast, but he couldn’t conjure the magic which allowed England to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the first T20I. Morgan might never have batted better, but he might also never have captained better.

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