The perception of Malan being a slow starter might have led to him dropping down to number seven in Sunday's first game as England turned to their middle-order dashers after Jos Buttler and Alex Hales had laid a platform.
But he was in his natural habitat at a chilly Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday, anchoring England's innings as they recovered from 4-54 to 7-178, enough for an eight-run victory to go 2-0 up with one to play.
Malan's 82 off 49 balls, including seven fours and four sixes, relied on timing over all-out aggression against a full-strength Australia attack and was extra special on his 50th T20 appearance for England.
However, he denied he had a point to prove at the outset, indicating he has moved down the line-up in the past - most notably against the West Indies and South Africa at last year's T20 World Cup.
"I feel like I've proved my point a hell of a lot before," said Malan, the former top-ranked T20 batter in the world, who's now at sixth.
"Ultimately, the way this team is balanced, if we get to a certain stage in the game, I think everyone's very flexible in the way they're going to bat.
"It was the same at the last World Cup, we chop and change depending on whether we want a certain player in at a certain time, especially if we get a good start."
If Malan is relaxed about the need to adapt in T20s, the 35-year-old is less understanding about the England and Wales Cricket Board's central contracts, which were announced earlier this week.
Malan was dropped to a lower incremental banding, having lost his Test spot after last winter's Ashes, while Chris Jordan, England's leading T20 wicket-taker of all-time, no longer has any type of ECB deal.
The current structure introduced last year makes no distinction between the red and white-ball formats with all players now in a single list and on an internal pay scale, but there continues to be greater weight given to performances in Test cricket which Malan feels is unfair.
"There's obviously a slightly strange system with the contracting system," said Malan. "Hopefully white-ball cricket can get recognised as Test match cricket does.
"We'd like to be rewarded for our performances for England, that's what contracts are for, and if you're ranked top-five in the world for three years, you'd hope you get recognised with a white-ball contract.
"You have players here who have been leading wicket-takers in the history of the game for England who don't have a contract but those are decisions I don't make."
