Phil Salt has stated that he is unsure whether he can retain his spot in England’s ODI team, despite his Player of the Match performance (89 off 46) in the opening T20I of the three-match series between Ireland and England. Notably, the Three Lions have played six One-Day Internationals since Salt’s last 50-over appearance, effectively disregarding him in the one-day format.
Phil Salt shared his thoughts after his team won by four wickets on Wednesday, September 17.
Before being pulled from the ODI squad, the top-order batsman admitted that he had fallen short of the team management’s expectations. He added that, while he was unhappy, he could see why he was dropped.
“Not many, to be honest. I can’t say much more than that. I was told to go out and play a certain way, be ultra aggressive and start in fifth gear, similar to T20s. It’s not always that easy in one-day cricket, but I tried my best. While trying to do that, I didn’t score the weight of runs which are required in 50-over cricket to hold a place. While I was disappointed, I sort of understood. I nailed my colours to the mast, that’s what the team wanted of me, and it didn’t quite work out,” Salt was quoted as saying by The Independent.
The attacking opener also commented on his understanding with his batting partner and senior wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler. Furthermore, the Englishman also remarked how well both of them complemented each other while executing their respective roles with the bat.
“We bounce off each other quite well. We know each other. I’m always the one looking to be aggressive early on, throw the first punches if you will, and Jos more often than not comes in and does his own thing. It’s a bit of a one-two. Maybe, that’s something a lot of opening partnerships don’t have, two guys who can get you off to a flier early on,” Salt remarked.
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