As Dawid Malan tried to stand up at the end of his press conference, he realised he needed to grip the table to support himself. The adrenalin had finally worn off. The pain, the weariness and the stiffness, the miles in his legs and the hours of clenched muscles, had finally set in. It probably felt amazing.

He will sleep soundly tonight. Going to bed unbeaten on 110 on the first day of an Ashes Test will do that to you. The emotional whirling waltzer of scoring your maiden Test century, in the biggest series of them all, with your parents watching from the stands, will do that to you.

Malan turned 30 in September. He is not a young man in cricketing terms. For much of the last decade, plugging away in the Middlesex order, he has been nowhere near the England side. And for much of that time, it will have been tempting to think that was it for him: a nice, comfortable existence in the county nest.

Ashes third Test in pictures Show all 42 1 /42 Ashes third Test in pictures Ashes third Test in pictures alastair-cook2.jpg Alastair Cook departs after being trapped LBW for seven. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures mark-stoneman.jpg Mark Stoneman is hit by the ball on his way to making 56. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures james-vince.jpg James Vince is caught behind by Tim Paine off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures joe-root2.jpg Joe Root walks off after making 20, having been caught by Tim Paine off the bowling of Pat Cummins. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures dawid-malan.jpg Dawid Malan sweeps the ball away for four on the first day of the third Test. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures jonny-bairstow.jpg Jonny Bairstow runs between the wickets with Dawid Malan on the first day of the third Ashes test. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures dawid-malan1.jpg Dawid Malan celebrates reaching his century on the first day of the third Ashes Test. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures dawid-malan2.jpg Dawid Malan walks off the Waca field after making 140. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith-0.jpg Steve Smith celebrates with his Australian teammates following the dismissal of Dawid Malan. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures jonny-bairstow1.jpg Jonny Bairstow celebrates reaching his century on day two of the third Test. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures jonny-bairstow2.jpg Jonny Bairstow points to the sky in memory of his late father after reaching his century. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures jonny-bairstow3.jpg Jonny Bairstow headbutts his England helmet after passing 100. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures chris-woakes.jpg Chris Woakes is dismissed by Josh Hazlewood as England's lower order is bowled out cheaply. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures craig-overton.jpg Craig Overton walks off dejectedly after being caught out for just 2. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures stuart-broad.jpg Stuart Broad edged an attempted pull shot to Cameron Bancroft at short-leg. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures david-warner.jpg David Warner walks off the field after making 22. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures cameron-bancroft.jpg Cameron Bancroft dives for the crease in an attempted run-out. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures craig-overton1.jpg Craig Overton celebrates dismissing Cameron Bancroft soon after the wicket of David Warner. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures usman-khawaja.jpg Usman Khawaja is dismissed by Chris Woakes late on day two. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith1.jpg Steve Smith steadied the ship for Australia as he approached his century. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures moeen-ali.jpg Moeen Ali celebrates taking the only wicket of the day after dismissing Shaun Marsh Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith100.jpg Steve Smith celebrates reaching his second century of the Ashes series Getty Ashes third Test in pictures mitchell-marsh1.jpg Mitchell Marsh raises his arms in the air after reaching his maiden century Getty Ashes third Test in pictures mitchell-marsh.jpg Mitchell Marsh kisses his helmet after reaching his century on his Australia recall Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith4.jpg Steve Smith ducks out of the way of a bouncer on his way to 229 not-out on day three Getty Ashes third Test in pictures stuart-broad1.jpg Stuart Broad reacts with dejection on a frustrating day for England Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith2.jpg Steve Smith celebrates reaching his double-century to put Australia in control on day three of the third Test Getty Ashes third Test in pictures steve-smith3.jpg Steve Smith points to his family after passing 200 in the first innings Getty Ashes third Test in pictures scoreboard.jpg The scoreboard made bleak reading for England Getty Ashes third Test in pictures gettyimages-893732190.jpg Getty Ashes third Test in pictures gettyimages-893973426.jpg Getty Ashes third Test in pictures gettyimages-893990244.jpg Getty Ashes third Test in pictures trevor-bayliss-joe-root.jpg Trevor Bayliss and Joe Root inspect the pitch at the start of day five. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures jonny-bairstow4.jpg Jonny Bairstow is caught out by a ball that keeps low from Josh Hazlewood. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures nathan-lyon.jpg Nath Lyon is surrounded by his Australia teammates after dismissing Moeen Ali. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures dawid-malan4.jpg Dawid Malan celebrates reaching his half-century. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures dawid-malan3.jpg Dawid Malan top scored again for England with 54 before getting himself out. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures craig-overton3.jpg Craig Overton came out to bat despite suffering a fractured rib. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures josh-hazlewood.jpg Josh Hazlewood celebrates the dismissal of Craig Overton. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures mitchell-starc.jpg Pat Cummins celebrates dismissing Stuart Broad for a duck Getty Ashes third Test in pictures james-anderson.jpg James Anderson is struck on the head during the second innings. Getty Ashes third Test in pictures pat-cummins.jpg Pat Cummins celebrates taking the wicket of Chris Woakes to secure Australia's Ashes series victory. Getty

But it was never going to be enough for Malan. He wanted more. He always believed he was one of those rare players who would save his best for the biggest stage. Eight Tests into his career, he finally proved it. On a bracingly quick Waca surface, he found his element.

“You play county cricket, and you’re more worried about your front pad getting blown off, or nicking off to 78mph dibbly-dobblies,” he said. “So I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of facing these guys: not only technically, but they test your heart as well.”

What of the moment itself - a meaty pull for four off Josh Hazlewood to take him from 98 to 102? “You always lie in bed at night thinking about scoring a hundred,” he said. “But at the time, it all disappears. It becomes a blur, really.

“It was so emotional. I didn’t really know what to do. I almost started crying, to be honest. The amount of sacrifices my old man and mother have made along the way to get me here, to do it in front of them is nice to repay them for all the time they’ve given me.”

Malan was a surprise choice for England last summer, and initially struggled. The defining motif of his debut at The Oval against South Africa was the sight of Malan sprawled on all fours after getting his stumps cleaned up by Kagiso Rabada. “After those first two games, I didn’t think I would ever score a run in Test cricket. Luckily, I’ve adjusted my game a little bit.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Malan’s short England career is how he has been flexible to circumstances. After that initial disappointment against South Africa, he opened up his stance a little to prevent himself falling over to the off-side. Against the West Indies, he pared down his flamboyant natural game in order to dig out a score. The two half-centuries he scored probably secured his tour place ahead of Tom Westley.

Malan hit an unbeaten hundred to put England in a strong position (Getty)

Still, Malan arrived in Australia with something less than a reputation. “I was under a bit of pressure coming into the game,” he said. “Every time you open a newspaper, you’re reading about how bad you are. It’s nice to tick a box and prove to yourself that you can play at this level. At the end of the day, it’s the number of hundreds you score. So it was nice to score some runs, and when the team needed it.”

Of course, there is plenty still to do. Even a score in excess of 400 may not be enough to make the game safe, on a surface where both sides have the potential not simply to score, but to score quickly. But a big hundred by Malan would go a long way to prolonging the series past Christmas, and perhaps even setting up a tantalising win.