Phil Salt's Record-Breaking Night Sends England to Historic T20 Win
Wow, what a night it was at Old Trafford! England absolutely demolished South Africa in the second T20, and the star of the show was without a doubt Phil Salt. If you weren’t following live, you might need a moment to digest the sheer scale of what happened. England posted a massive 304 for 2, their highest T20 total ever against a Test nation, and then bowled South Africa out for just 158. That’s a 146-run victory—England’s biggest T20 win in terms of runs.
Phil Salt was simply sensational. From the very first ball, he attacked, smashing Marco Jansen for boundaries and putting the South African bowlers under pressure immediately. By the end of his innings, Salt had racked up an unbeaten 141 off just 60 balls. Not only did he break the record for the fastest century by an England player—reaching 100 in just 39 balls—but he also set the record for the highest individual T20 score for England. To put it in perspective, he hit 23 boundaries, including eight sixes.
Also Read:But Salt wasn’t alone. Jos Buttler complemented him perfectly, scoring 83 from 30 balls. Together, they put on a 126-run stand that left the South African team scrambling. England’s captain, Harry Brook, even admitted that watching Salt and Buttler take the game apart left him almost speechless. He called it a performance that showcased England’s depth and strength at the top of the order, hinting that there are “not many heights we can’t reach” with the current lineup.
South Africa did start brightly, reaching 50 runs in just over three overs, but once England struck their first wicket, the floodgates opened. Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, and Will Jacks delivered brilliant spells, with Archer taking three wickets for 25 runs and Curran picking up two for 11. By the end, South Africa was bowled out for 158, setting up an exciting series decider on Sunday in Nottingham.
Salt was humble in victory, calling it “really good fun” and emphasizing that it wasn’t just about personal milestones. He spoke about wanting to take games deep while maintaining a high strike rate, aiming to become the best T20 player in the world. After a golden duck in the previous match, he bounced back emphatically, setting the tone from ball one and putting the opposition on the back foot.
Former England batter Dawid Malan described it as a “perfect game of cricket” for Salt—every shot timed, every risk calculated. And with this innings, Salt has now equaled the likes of India’s Suryakumar Yadav with four T20I centuries, sitting just behind Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell.
England’s message is loud and clear: with this lineup, especially the firepower at the top of the order, they are ready to dominate T20 cricket globally. And Phil Salt? He’s showing the world that he’s just getting started.
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