Phil Salt Joins 'This' Elite List After Blistering Knock In ENG vs WI Super 8 Clash
Phil Salt's assault took West Indies by storm (Twitter)
Explosive opener Phil Salt's unbeaten 87 off 47 balls against West Indies on Thursday entered England's cricket history as the fourth-highest score by an English batter in T20 World Cups.
His blistering performance at the Daren Sammy National Stadium was critical in England's thumping eight-wicket win, achieved with 15 balls to spare.
ENG vs WI: Phil Salt becomes 4th best for England in T20 World Cup batting
Phil Salt's 87* is now only behind these monumental innings in England's T20 World Cup history:
- Alex Hales: 116* vs Sri Lanka, 2014
- Jos Buttler: 101* vs Sri Lanka, 2021
- Luke Wright: 99* vs Afghanistan, 2012
Coming to the ENG vs WI clash, Jos Buttler's decision to field first paid off as England's bowlers, led by Adil Rashid's 1 for 21, restricted West Indies to 180/4.
Despite a brisk start and some power hitting by Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford, England's disciplined attack kept the West Indies in check.
England's chase began steadily, with Salt and Buttler putting up 67 for the first wicket. After Buttler's dismissal and Moeen Ali's brief stint, Salt and Jonny Bairstow took charge. Bairstow's quickfire 46 off 21 balls provided the perfect support as Salt anchored the innings.
Salt's innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression. He weathered the middle overs before launching a devastating assault on Romario Shepherd, scoring 30 runs in one over.
After a successful Phil Salt IPL 2024 stint with KKR, his unbeaten 87, featuring nine fours and five sixes, propelled the defending champions to victory and earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.
With this win, England has opened its account in the ICC Super 8 T20 WC points table. They will look to keep the winning momentum going and stay on top of the Super 8 points table.
For now, the rest of the Super Eight teams have been put on notice – England means business, and with Phil Salt in such imperious form, the path to the trophy has never looked more intimidating.