Philip Salt completes 1,500 T20I runs with 85 vs NZ
What's the story
Dashing England opener Phil Salt scored a brilliant 85 in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch. Salt, who has the joint second-most tons in the format, missed out on reaching the landmark for the record fifth time. Nevertheless, his efforts powered England to a mammoth first-innings score (236/4). Salt also went past 1,500 T20I runs during his stay. Here are his stats.
Knock
A solid hand from Salt
Salt came out all guns blazing as England were off to a flier batting first. After the fall of the second wicket, the 29-year-old joined forces with Harry Brook, who was even more aggressive during his 78-run stay. The duo added 129 runs before Brook departed. Salt eventually fell to Kyle Jamieson as England finished at a mammoth 236/4.
Feat
Salt misses out on this feat
As per ESPNcricinfo, Salt could have equaled Rohit Sharma and Australia's Glenn Maxwell in terms of most centuries in T20Is (5 each). The Englishman currently has four tons from just 46 innings. India's Suryakumar Yadav is the only other batter with more than three T20I hundreds (4). Meanwhile, no other Englishman has multiple T20I hundreds.
Stats
1,500 T20I runs for Salt
Salt's knock of 85 came from 56 balls with 11 fours and a six. This was his seventh T20I half-century. The England opener has raced past 1,500 runs (now 1,540) at an average of 38.50. His strike rate is a stunning 168.12. This was his second T20I outing against NZ as he was dismissed for just three in the series opener.
DYK
Highest individual score for England
Last month, Salt recorded the highest individual T20I score for England (141* vs South Africa in Manchester). He went past his own score of 119 versus West Indies in Tarouba, 2023. The game saw Salt register a 39-ball century, England's fastest in T20Is. The batter's first three hundreds in the format came against West Indies with two of them coming in successive games.