Phil Salt to miss WI T20Is [Source: @TheCricketerMag/X]
In a major development, swashbuckling English opener Phil Salt has been granted paternity leave following the birth of his child. As a result, the wicketkeeper-batter is all set to miss the three-match T20I series against West Indies, starting on Friday, June 6.
Phil Salt Replaced As England Announce Updated Squad For WI T20Is
This afternoon, the England Cricket Board (ECB) revealed that top-order batter Phil Salt would miss the West Indies T20Is owing to the paternity leave he received following the birth of his child earlier this week. Explosive keeper-batter Jamie Smith has been added to the English T20I squad as his like-for-like replacement.
Phil Salt's unavailability can be termed as a setback for the Three Lions, considering the batter recently enjoyed stellar success for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025.
Opening the batting with the legendary Virat Kohli, Salt hammered 403 runs at an average of 33.58 and a strike rate of 175.98, playing a pivotal role in RCB's historic maiden IPL triumph.
However, England have some quality players in their squad, and, they could replace Salt with either Tom Banton or Jamie Smith in their playing XI.
In Salt's absence, skipper Harry Brook and his predecessor Jos Buttler are expected to play key roles for the hosts, with Ben Duckett, Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell assisting them. Meanwhile, the bowling unit will likely be led by Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood.
England's Updated Squad For WI T20Is
Harry Brook (Yorkshire) – Captain, Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Luke Wood (Lancashire)