Why This T20 World Cup Means More for Phil Salt
Phil Salt already owns a T20 World Cup winner’s medal, but this year’s tournament represents something very different—and far more personal—for the England opener. In 2022, England’s triumph in Australia came with Salt playing only a peripheral role. He entered the XI in the semi-final, did not bat against India, and made just 10 runs batting at No. 3 in the final against Pakistan at the MCG.
Since then, Salt’s career has transformed. Now firmly established as one of the most destructive openers in world cricket, he heads into this T20 World Cup determined to be a central figure rather than a supporting act.
“Yes, definitely,” Salt said when asked if winning this World Cup would feel different. “That’s a massive source of motivation for myself. Obviously, I started that World Cup in Australia out of the team. Hopefully, I start this one in the team and put a stamp on it. It’s really simple.”
England’s Premier T20 Opener
Salt’s rise has been emphatic. Since the start of 2023, no player in the world has opened the batting in T20 cricket more often than him, and no one has scored more runs from the position. He is nearly 500 runs clear of the next-best opener, Faf du Plessis.
The gap becomes even starker at international level. Among players in nation-versus-nation T20s, Salt sits in rarefied air, alongside India’s Abhishek Sharma. Salt’s strike rate of 169.5 makes him the only international batter operating close to 170, while Sharma has taken aggression to another level with a strike rate of 197.3.
“I’d like to catch him,” Salt joked of Sharma, the current ICC No.1 T20 batter, with Salt ranked second. “That’s been my goal for a while, even when Suryakumar Yadav was number one. A completely different batter, but I still wanted to catch him.
“I really like watching him bat. The fact that he can hit the first ball for six, the way he runs down the wicket, fights that really straight line to get it over the offside, but then also hits a ball wide over the leg side—it’s completely different. I’m never going to be him. He’s never going to be me. But I do enjoy watching him bat.”
India the Benchmark
Salt is under no illusions about the challenge ahead. With the tournament being played in India, he sees the hosts as clear favourites.
“I think they are by far and away the strongest team in the World Cup,” he said. “And I’m really excited by the idea that we get to come up against them in a World Cup in their own backyard.”
That backyard, however, is one Salt knows well. A two-time IPL winner, he boasts the highest strike rate in IPL history among players with a minimum of 25 innings.
“It’s obviously the strongest T20 league in the world,” he said. “So if you can’t go there and pick things up that’ll help you out, then you’re probably not looking at it the right way.”
Focus on Preparation
Before World Cup action begins, England face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series—remarkably the first time Salt has played them in his 83-match international career.
“I’ll be having a good chat with our analyst,” Salt said. “I’ll be watching as much footage as possible and have a good look at them in the warm-up. It’s about having clarity on where they miss and what their plans are.
“It’s not Moneyball by any stretch of the imagination. Just being fully prepped to the point that there are no surprises.”
Pride in Wales and a New Role
Away from international duties, Salt has also been handed a role close to his heart. Born in Wales, he was recently named captain of Welsh Fire for the upcoming season of the Hundred under new ownership—a significant appointment for a competition eager to strengthen local connections.
“Massively so,” Salt said of the honour. “It really does mean a lot. My mum was over the moon when I told her.
“Going back to St Asaph CC where I first picked up a cricket bat, filming a video there with Gareth Ryan, who was in charge of the club then and still is now—that was a really nice moment.
“Looking ahead to the summer, I’m really excited and 100% proud of where I’ve come from and the people who’ve helped me get here.”
For Salt, this T20 World Cup is no longer about being part of a winning squad. It is about leading from the front—and leaving his own mark on the biggest stage.