Philip Salt Leads England to T20I Series Draw Against Australia

England’s stand-in skipper Philip Salt admitted that he is enjoying the added responsibility after leading his side to a 1-1 T20I series draw against Australia in his maiden captaincy stint. The three-match series ended 1-1 after rain washed away an entire match at Old Trafford in Manchester.

After finding themselves trailing 1-0 in the series, England showed remarkable grit to bounce back and level the series in the second T20I. Salt’s 87-run onslaught, laced with six fours and five maximums at a whopping strike rate of 185.11, took England close to the finishing line.

While speaking about his role as captain, Salt said, “I’ve enjoyed it, it’s different, it’s the first time in an England shirt I’ve had to look at the game differently, but I’ve enjoyed the added responsibility.”

Liam Livingstone ended the series as the leading run-getter and joint-highest wicket-taker. The 31-year-old garnered 124 runs at an average of 62.00. Apart from Livingstone’s all-round show, youngster Jacob Bethell also became the talk of the town. In the second T20I, he acted as the perfect anchor during his 90-run partnership with Livingstone. His quick-fire 44 off 24 deliveries kept England in contention to chase down the target of 194.

Salt acknowledged that the team was under pressure after losing the first T20I. But he was proud after seeing his side making a comeback to draw the series. “I’m very proud of this team. When you lose the first one, you’re always under pressure, and we came back harder,” Salt said. “When we get on top, we can really put our foot down. I think the Aussies found it hard to defend in Cardiff. We want to win a bilateral series, the more time we spend together as a group, the better we’ll be as a team when those big tournaments come around,” he added.

After the T20I series concluded on level terms, Australia and England will square off in a five-match ODI series, which will kick off on Thursday at Trent Bridge.