"Nothing changes from our perspective ... and we'll be putting our best side available to us out there [today], according to the conditions and the opposition," he says.
Mercifully, it's a Houdini act for New Plymouth today with a sparkling 19C before the heavens open at midnight and don't close until Thursday.
CD are humming so much that - not to be cruel - it seems as if they can do without injured Jesse Ryder.
"To be fair, we'd take Jesse in a heartbeat," says Malan, after speaking to him yesterday.
"He's done a fitness test and he's been running ... so that's good news. If he gets through the work done over the weekend he could be the 12 travelling to Auckland," he says, as middle-order batsman Tom Bruce will join the Black Caps T20 squad.
In the only amendment to the 12 today, T20 first-choice spinner Marty Kain has shrugged off a stiff neck to comes back into the equation.
Red-ball, left-arm orthodox tweaker Ajaz Patel leaves.
Two-match Brisbane Heats import Luke Feldman left an impression on Malan but CD will lose him after today.
"We've always been happy with the talent and calibre of players we've had and felt they needed a little more cricket and experience," says Malan, emphasising the variable was time, three years or five for the Stags to mature and understand their roles.
Structures put in place a couple of years ago are beginning to show their sturdy foundations as players embrace individual responsibilities with collective mindset.
"That's all we can ask for and if they keep doing that to put themselves to compete in the back-end of games, the more experience they'll get to go across the line."
That "outsiders" are putting their hand up, such as newbie Ryan McCone from Canterbury, was a testament to the work of the Stags management.
"At the end of the day it all comes down to the players and the way they buy into the structure which is player driven with a senior leadership group that propels that culture.
"It's exciting to see people outside recognise and see the way we operate so in years to come it'll put us in good stead," says Malan.
With a long line of bowlers on the injury list over the past two summers, McCone was a no brainer.
"Ryan's played like 70-odd games [at domestic level] so you can't buy that sort of experience at the shops," he says of the left-armer who, he believes, was trying to showcase his skills to such an extent at the beginning of the season that he was "almost trying too hard".
By relaxing, focusing on his role and injecting a bit of fun McCone is starting to find his niche in CD.
■ CD Stags (from): Tom Bruce, Joshua Clarkson, Dane Cleaver (wk), Luke Feldman, Mahela Jayawardene, Marty Kain, Ryan McCone, Seth Rance, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, George Worker, William Young (c).
■ Canterbury Kings (from): Todd Astle, Jeremy Benton, Chad Bowes, Andrew Ellis (c), Cameron Fletcher (wk), Peter Fulton, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ed Nuttall, Logan van Beek.
