Boland Rocks coach Adrian Birrell says Janneman Malan has the ability “to adapt to any format he plays in”.

Malan, who recently won the ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year award for 2021, has scored 759 runs in 14 ODIs at an average of 69, with three hundreds and three fifties (including 91 in the second ODI against India).

In first-class cricket, the 25-year-old averages 49.10, having opened the batting for most of his career before dropping down to No 4 for Boland.

In this season’s 4-Day Domestic Sevens, Malan has made 283 runs in three matches at an average of 70.75, including 200* against the Free State Knights last October.

With Proteas No 4 Aiden Markram struggling for form – he made just 76 runs in the recent Test series against India at an average of 12.66 – Malan could be the man to bolster the batting lineup.

Birrell certainly thinks so.

“We’re using him as a No 4 for the balance of our team and he’s got a 200 from that position and he batted well when he did so,” he told Sport24.

“He’s got a great hunger for runs and, while his numbers are good, it’s also worth remembering he compiled most of them as an opener.

“When I looked at him as a player for the Rocks, I was excited when I saw his numbers across all three formats.

“Technically, he hasn’t changed much in the different formats and he plays the same types of shots.

“Being a quality player, he’s able to adapt to any format he plays in.”