English wicketkeeper Phil Salt is steadily climbing the ladder in international cricket. At 27 years old, he recently secured the number two spot in the latest ICC rankings for T20I batters.
The Lancashire player showcased a remarkable performance in the West Indies, amassing 331 runs in just five innings and earning the 'Player of the Series' award.
In the most recent ICC T20I batting rankings, Salt surpassed Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and now sits behind only India's Suryakumar Yadav. Pakistan's former skipper Babar Azam has also slipped down to the fifth spot with a rating points 734.
His tally of 331 runs across five matches included back-to-back centuries against the hosts at St George's and Tarouba, setting up a series decider at the latter venue on December 21. Despite adding another 38 runs in the final match, England fell short against West Indies, losing the five-match series 2-3 in a one-sided run chase.
Despite the team's performance, Salt currently holds the second position between Rizwan and the top-ranked batter Yadav in the prestigious ICC T20I batting rankings. He stands at number two with 802 rating points, trailing Suryakumar (887) by a significant margin of 85 points.
Interestingly, Salt did not attract any buyers at the IPL 2024 auction in the UAE on December 19, despite his standout performance of 119 runs against West Indies in Tarouba on the same day. Expressing his disappointment the following morning, he described the snub as "confusing" during his conversation with reporters.
Salt made his IPL debut with the Delhi Capitals in 2023, participating in nine matches and scoring 218 runs with an average of 27.25. However, the franchise released him ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
- Phil Salt
