England’s opener Phil Salt responded by launching a ferocious attack on the West Indies spinners. The game was decisively won by the Three Lions thanks to his match-winning hit of 87* off just 47 balls. With eight wickets remaining, England reached the mark in just 17.3 overs thanks to some outstanding support from Jonny Bairstow, who scored 48* off 26 balls.
England defeated co-hosts West Indies by eight wickets on Thursday in St. Lucia, making a solid start to their Super 8 campaign in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
In the match at St. Lucia, the Windies lost the toss and elected to bat first. Before Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell added 36 runs apiece, they had a strong start thanks to openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles. With 28 runs without a loss, Sherfane Rutherford gave the Windies a 180/4 lead.
I think you can kind of fill that position if you’re a little more settled: Phil Salt
After a rocky beginning to their title defence, Salt was thrilled with his game-winning innings and thought the win gave them much-needed momentum.
“It’s undoubtedly the first move in that direction, though I’m not sure if you can compare the two. As Cricbuzz reported, “I’ve already stated that building momentum and confidence is as important as having a little bit of luck when playing in tournaments. I think that’s the first step in the right direction.”
The England team’s longer tenure, according to the 27-year-old opener, has aided him in maintaining a free-scoring mentality when batting.
It’s definitely one of those tasks that gives you greater confidence. Perhaps you’re wondering, “Oh no, what if I leave now,” if you’re new to the side. Right now, I don’t want to leave. However, he continued, “I think you can kind of play that role and sort of take the onus on your own a little bit more once you’re a little bit more settled.”
Phil Salt saved particular recognition for assistant coach Kieron Pollard’s unique contribution to chasing T20 format totals.
“We’ve talked a lot about how you take eights from one side and twelves from the other, or 200. It’s so easy to say, but in practice, there wasn’t really a point where I knew I was slowing down and didn’t have many strikes, but if I could just get through that phase, then we’ll be in a good position and I can take a good dip, a calculated risk at the seamers’, he said.
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