England opener Phil Salt has been their trump card coming into the tournament.
England fell into deep waters without a life jacket, but somehow ended up surviving by four runs against Nepal. However, they were again thrown into the same waters by the West Indies, and they couldn’t find their way out this time around. Opener Phil Salt reflected on the areas England need to improve upon.
In terms of quality, the Three Lions have one of the best possible sides in the tournament on paper. Except the fact, that those papers won’t win them the tournament. The Harry Brook-led side could not chase 197 against the Windies in Mumbai, which handed them their first loss.
Phil Salt expressed the acceptance that the Englishmen have not been able to bring out their ‘A’ game in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far, which might affected their chances. England failed to apply themselves in the game against the Windies, which is what cost them the game.
For all we know, the England T20 World Cup 2026 chances of qualification will be on the back of their minds as the Three Lions take on Scotland on Saturday.
ALSO READ:
In the two matches which he has played till now, Phil Salt has not looked at his best. After being dismissed for a solitary run against Nepal, the 29-year-old was dismissed for a 14-ball 30 against the West Indies – after he got off to a good start.
England, like many other teams in the tournament have shown signs of some fearless batting upfront – with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler taking the attack to the opposition right from ball one. However, there is some inexperience in the middle-order in the form of Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton.
Though both Bethell and Banton have played heaps of franchise cricket, the pressure of a world cup can be massive. It will be important to see how they fare against Scotland. That being said, Salt will be itching to get off to a good start and take the Scottish bowlers to the cleaners.
In 50 T20I innings, Salt has scored 1,618 runs at an average of 36.77. But it is his strike-rate which stands out. Salt strikes at a massive 166.97, which is one of the reasons because of which he is considered to be lethal in the shortest format.
Having registered a victory in one of the two games, England will play against Scotland and Italy next – with expectations of coming out on the winning side in both of them. But the tournament has shown some signs of humbling giants, and that is why the Three Lions will not take anything lightly.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
