NEWS
Follow UsPhil Salt was a part of England’s T20 World Cup winning squad Down Under in 2022. He featured in two games — the semi-final and the final – scoring 10 runs from one innings at number three.
Now, having established himself as the first-choice opener, life has come a full circle for Salt as England have traveled across the North Atlantic Ocean to defend their title. The right-hander spent seven years of his childhood in Barbados honing his love for the game. Salt was nine years old when his father came to Barbados to work as a property developer.
He is the second ranked T20I batter in world cricket, having scored 452 runs since 2023 at an average of 50.2 while striking at nearly 170. The right-handed opening batter also smashed 435 runs in IPL 2024 - 39.6 average, 182 strike rate. England start their campaign in Barbados, where Salt spent a good part of his formative years.
"To be back here and have the opportunity to play for England in a World Cup isn't something I ever thought I'd be doing, but it's certainly very special," Salt said about the turn of events.
"Everything about the place suits me. Pretty laid-back, a lot of cricket, a lot of sport, still got a lot of friends on the island. I don't think there's too many people that disagree that living in Barbados is a touch. But yeah, I loved it,” he said in the pre-match press conference.
Born in 1996, Salt was 13 years old when England clinched their maiden T20 World Cup title, beating Australia in the final in Barbados.
“I watched the final here in 2010. And, it was pretty special,” Salt mentioned.
“Collie (Paul Collingwood, England’s captain then) came past up this stand here, I think it's Hall and Griffith, I think, where I was sat upstairs watching the final, and he came past with the trophy and said, here - touch it while you can. So, I got a touch of the trophy that day. That's the thing that always sticks with me when I think about that day,” Salt said when asked about a special memory from the final in 2010.
“Now to be here in an England shirt, with the opportunity to do something special in the next month is incredible really,” he added.
Salt puts his success down to a combination of things helping him to realize his game alongside working with the coaches.
“It's not really been any one thing. I think the opportunity to gain more experience in international cricket has been definitely probably the biggest part of it in my own head.
I've also had a look at where I'm strong, where I'm not, used the analysis, learnt from the coaches, to make those movements in my game. So, you know, I can't put my finger on it's been any one thing, but I feel like maybe a mindset shift, that I want to be the person winning more games for England,” he said.
England will begin their campaign facing Scotland. While he wasn’t sure about the pitch, Salt dropped a few pointers on the conditions in Barbados from his prior experience.
“So, I hope it's a good wicket. But, cricket over here is very different to almost anywhere else in the world,” he said.
“Conditions are very different with the wind. Do you want to bat first and attack or chase something that will be harder to bat on. There's so many different decisions here with the way that the wickets play, the breeze as I mentioned. I wish I could predict what it's going to be, but I feel like the whole competition is going to take some nails,” he explained.
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