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Follow UsDefending champions.
That’s the curse.
Six different winners have emerged across eight editions of the T20 World Cup, but none have defended their crown. England know this very well.
Only last year, at the 2023 ODI World Cup, did they endure humiliation, finishing seventh. On June 4, after their first clash against Scotland in Barbados, the feeling amplified when Scotland were 90/0.
It was as nervy as it could get, considering that this was against the best of bests.
And, when they lost against Australia in the following clash, they were closer to elimination than to the next stage. They didn’t just have to win but they had to thrash both Oman and Namibia in the subsequent clash to make it to the Super 8s.
Once they did make it to the next stage, however, they played like a team that had nothing to lose. And the driving force behind their resurgence?
Salt was no longer the supporting role; he was the protagonist. The main character energy he possesses is bringing the Three Lions closer to defending their T20 World Cup title.
"To be back here [West Indies] 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 prior to the global event.
Even from a narrative perspective, the story was too good to be true. A large part of his formative years went in Barbados, where he honed his cricketing skills alongside now teammate Jofra Archer. So, in all, this T20 World Cup couldn’t have come at a better time and a better place.
Salt’s biggest strength still lies in his attacking gameplay, so much so that, prior to this T20 World Cup, he was acknowledged as one of the best powerplay bashers in the world. In the first six overs, Salt’s strike rate was a staggering 169.9, with the third-best frequency of finding boundaries (3.6 balls/boundary) for any opener in world cricket since his debut.
At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, though, he made it clear that he was no longer just a ‘powerplay basher’, where he was amongst the top openers. In that entire edition, the English batter amassed 435 runs with a thunderous strike rate of 182, including an unbeaten 89* against Lucknow Super Giants.
That game emphasised that he wasn’t a one-trick pony. In the entire competition, he certainly started strong with a first ten balls strike rate of 197.98 but also ensured that he continued that aggression, upgrading himself heavily.
Considering the circumstances and the gravitas of the occasion, the T20 World Cup provided him with the best opportunity to flex his skills. Once you perform at this level, you seal that legacy with a stamp.
That’s exactly what he did in the clash against Australia. His first ball wasn’t just a boundary but was a sign of things to come in the tournament.
In overs 1-6 across England’s group and Super 8s games in this T20WC, Salt scored 108 runs off 68 deliveries, striking at 158.8. Amongst all the openers with a minimum of 50 deliveries, only Quinton de Kock (167.9) and Travis Head (161.6) had better numbers. It was evident in how Salt was sprinkling seasoning wherever he went, putting one away to the ropes every four balls.
Not only was he scoring boundaries, but he was also rotating the strike with good effect, reducing the dot-ball percentage to a mere 41.1 in the first six overs while still scoring at 138.8 in the first ten balls.
In England’s first clash, Salt raced himself off to 29 (19), which allowed Jos Buttler to take it easy from the other end, where he scored only 21 (17). It was the case yet again in the clash against West Indies, where Salt was 35 (20) while Buttler was finding his feet at 21 (16).
It wasn’t just his powerplay heroics that caught the attention of one and all.
Salt’s ability to construct an innings stood out in England’s rampant win over the Windies. In that particular game, he had a rollicking start but then came a phase where the game demanded he slow down and read the pulse of the situation, which is exactly what he did.
He got himself running at 29 off his first 19 deliveries, but from thereon, Salt only scored 20 off the next 18 deliveries, when West Indies had brought back both Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie into the attack. He played out the negative match-up to perfection, not losing his wicket in a crucial situation.
When Romario Shepherd returned, Salt teed off with 38 runs off 10 balls against the pacers, with seven boundaries. That’s where Salt’s experience and exposure at the various global T20 leagues has helped him become both a better and sharper cricketer.
He wasn’t just targeting the pacers but was also hitting the ball towards the breeze, which naturally only made him more dangerous. You could see both his street smarts and game knowledge in the way he narrowed down the equation at the back of his head.
"We've spoken a lot about taking eights from one side to take 12s from the other - and that's 200. It sounds so simple to say it, but [it was about] putting that into action. I knew I had slowed down. I knew I hadn't got much strike, but I knew that if I just got through that period, we would be in a good position and I could have a good dip, [take a] good calculated risk at the seamers,” Salt said in the post-match presentation after the Windies win.
It is no surprise that Salt’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign is the best-ever for an English opener in terms of strike rate (166.4). But what makes it even more bewitching is that Salt and England’s journey has just begun.
Destiny saves its best for those who truly deserve it, and Salt’s story is one such. He might have played a side role in England’s win back in 2022, but he now truly is bringing the main character energy on the biggest stage of all.
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