West Indies thumped England down in a five-match T20I series as they clinched a low-scoring thriller in the final contest in Trinidad. England managed to score only 132 runs on a two-paced pitch in the first innings before the Windies themselves struggled to hunt down the total and bag another series under Rovman Powell. However, England batter Phil Salt was the major highlight of the five games as he registered a few milestones in his dream series.
Phil Salt recently became only the second player from ICC full members to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is. He achieved the feat in the 4th T20I when he scored 119 from 57 balls, the highest score by an England batter in T20Is. He has now shattered an all-time record of Pakistan star Mohammad Rizwan despite scoring just 38 runs in the 5th T20I.
Salt has shattered the record for most runs scored in a T20I bilateral series by a player. He had 293 runs to his name before the final T20I and needed 24 more to break Rizwan's all-time feat of 316 runs in a 20-over series. And despite scoring only 38 runs, the wicket-keeper batter went past his Pakistan counterpart.
Most runs scored in a T20I bilateral series (full members)
1 - Phil Salt: 331 runs
2 - Mohammad Rizwan: 316 runs
3 - Mark Chapman: 290 runs
4 - Babar Azam: 285 runs
5 - Quinton de Kock: 255 run
Notably, Salt was recently ignored in the IPL auction 2024 as he found no takers. Salt had a base price of INR 1.5 crore but none of the 10 franchises paid interest in him in the mini-auction. The 27-year-old was part of Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season and fared well. He scored 218 runs in 9 innings at an average of 27.25 and a strike rate of 163.91. On not being picked, the wicket-keeper batter was left confused. "It was a confusing morning. I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I've had, but these things happen. It's part of the lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There's a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I'm over the moon for them. I was a bit confused but it can happen. There's no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL. It's one of those things," he said. Salt had scored a century in the 4th T20I after getting ignored in IPL.
