it means more Phil Salt.
Already a World Cup winner, Salt was a small component of England’s success in 2022, where he came into the eleven in the semi-finals, did not bat against India and then scored 10 against Pakistan at the MCG. Batting at number 3 in the final.
Since then, he has become one of the leading T20 opening batsmen in the world and sees this as an opportunity to put the England team on his back and lead them to World Cup glory.
“Yeah, definitely,” Salt says when asked whether winning here would feel different. “It’s a big source of motivation for me. Obviously, I started that World Cup in Australia outside the team. Hopefully, I’ll start it in the team and stamp it out. It’s that simple really.”
England They have an undisputed world-class opener in Salt. Since the start of 2023, Salt has made more appearances in T20 cricket than anyone else in the world. he is scored more runs Even from the post. He is about 500 runs ahead of second placed Faf du Plessis.
The clean air in which the salt works makes itself more evident When you only play international cricket. When you only consider nation against nation, there’s the rest, then there’s Phil Salt, and then there’s Abhishek Sharma.
Salt has a strike-rate of 169.50, making him the only player in the world to come close to a score of 170. Meanwhile, Abhishek is working in his own world with a score of 197.30.
“I would like to catch him,” Salt joked of Abhishek, who is currently ranked as the ICC No. 1 T20 batsman in the world, with Salt second. “That has been my target for quite some time, even when Suryakumar Yadav was number one. A completely different batsman, but I still wanted to catch him.
“I really like watching him bat, I’ll be honest with you. last nightI was disappointed because he got out early.
“The fact that he can hit a six on the first ball like that, the way he runs down the wicket, fights to get the ball through that line to the off side, but then also hits the ball over the leg side. It’s completely different. I can never be that. That can never be me. But I enjoy watching him bat.”
Salt has not been shy in highlighting India as favorites for a home World Cup.
“I think they are the strongest team we have ever played in a World Cup,” says Salt. “And I’m really excited by the idea that we’ll get a chance to play against them at the World Cup in their own backyard.”
But India’s backyard is also full of salt. Now a two-time IPL winner, Salt has the highest strike-rate of any player with a minimum of 25 innings in IPL history.
“It’s obviously the strongest T20 league in the world, so if you can’t go out there and pick up things that will help you then you’re probably not approaching it the right way.”
Before the World Cup begins, Salt is preparing for England’s three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka, which – given the modern game – will be the first time that Salt has played for Sri Lanka in his 83-match international career.
“I’ll have a good chat with our analyst tonight,” Solt says of how he plans to prepare. “I will watch as much footage as possible. I’ll take a good look at them tomorrow in warm-ups. It’s about clarity about where they are missing and what their plans are.
“It’s not Moneyball by any stretch of the imagination. Just being completely well-crafted to the point where there are no surprises.”
Away from international cricket, Wales-born Salt was recently named as the new Welsh Fire captain for the first edition of the Hundred under new ownership, a move which was expected to be a step up. Was revealed by ESPNcricinfo last month.
For a competition that is striving for stories and to create a connection with fans who are not yet fully invested in brand new teams, Salt having been born and raised in Wales is a coup for the competition, and a point of particular pride for him having represented the North-East Wales age-groups as a child.
“That’s largely so,” Salt says. “I don’t want to just sit here and say, ‘Oh, that means a lot,’ because, no, it really does.
“It’s the little things, like how my mother jumped with joy when I told her. Going back and filming a video at St Asaph CC, where I picked up a cricket bat for the first time, with Gaz [Gareth] Ryan was there who was in charge of the club at the time and is still in charge of the club. It was a really cool moment to be there.
“And then looking forward to the summer, I’m really excited and I’m 100% proud of where I’ve come from and the people who have gotten me here.”