London: England opener Phil Salt has declared his ambition to become the ‘best in the world’ after a breathtaking unbeaten century powered England to a commanding 146-run victory over South Africa at Old Trafford.
The 29-year-old produced the innings of his life, hammering 141 not out from 60 deliveries, including 23 boundaries and eight sixes, to propel England to a monumental 304-2, the highest total in T20 internationals between Test nations. South Africa were bowled out for 158 in reply, leaving the three-match series tied at 1-1 ahead of decider in Nottingham.
Salt raced to a 39-ball century, the fastest by an England player in T20Is, surpassing Liam Livingstone’s 42-ball ton against Pakistan in 2021. It was also the highest individual T20I score by an England batter, breaking his own previous record of 119 against the West Indies in 2023.
Salt remarked that, “I want to take games as deep as possible while still batting at a high strike rate. The goal is to be right up there — I want to be the best in the world at thi
Salt’s opening partner Jos Buttler blazed 83 off just 30 balls, dominating a first-wicket stand of 126 in only 47 deliveries. Captain Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell also played key roles in pushing England past the 300-mark in a T20 for the first time.
Brook hailed Salt’s knock as a statement of England’s power, stating that, “He is selfless and knows exactly what his role is — to put bowlers under pressure from ball one. Performances like this show we can be the most dominant team in the world.”
Record-breaking night
- Salt scored 18 runs off the first over from Marco Jansen, the most by an England batter in the opening over of a T20I.
- His 39-ball century is England’s fastest in the format.
- England’s 304-2 is the highest T20I total ever recorded between two Test nations.
- Salt now has four T20I centuries, level with India’s Suryakumar Yadav, and just one behind Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell.
Former England batter Dawid Malan summed up Salt’s innings as ‘the perfect game of cricket for him’— and perhaps a turning point in his quest to be the world’s best T20 opener.
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