The Hundred: Dawid Malan hits competition's second-best score as Rockets dominance continues

But that's exactly how Dawid Malan's sublime 88 didn't come out of just 49 balls.

There were three sixes, a combination of exquisite timing and brutal power. But at no time did he seem to try so hard, such was his class.

He was dropped and there were a few streaky shots, but he made the odds count.

"He doesn't hit those big bombs, those big sixes," England bowler Chris Woakes said on BBC Two. "He just builds very well."

Malan's England teammate Adil Rashid may disagree on this point.

"He gave me the look of death!" Malan joked after helping finish the Rockets' 153 chase with six bullets to spare.

Malan was referring to a monster six he hammered into the bleachers of the leg spinner bowling alley.

Malan was the world's number one ranked T20 hitter and was successful in test cricket, but his place in the England formation has never really felt safe against the big hits of some of his counterparts.

Against the Northern Superchargers, however, he led the Trent Rockets to their second dominant victory of the competition and England bowler Mark Wood labeled them "the team to beat".

"He [Malan] seems just score and score and score without you really realizing it. He hits the ball harder than you think,” Wood added.

The combination of Malan and former England fly-half Alex Hales tops the list is the one that will keep opposition bowlers up at night sweating.

They crushed 86 together and Northern Superchargers had no response, despite having an experienced bowling team.

The power of the Rockets is such that they didn't need Joe Root, arguably the England's greatest hitter of all time, to help them in the chase.

These are promising signs for when Root leaves the competition after three games for England Test duty next week.

"Hales and Malan hit the ball in very different areas," Root said. . "We all know how dangerous Alex Hales can be and it's great to see them both in this form."

Rockets are also giving the bowling department a hard time.

South African Tabraiz Shamsi is ranked second best in the world in T20, and they also have number three into their ranks in Rashid Khan in Afghanistan.

And based on tonight's show, few would bet against Trent Rockets continuing on this winning run for some time to come.