Philip Salt - England - WK-Batsman

Philp Dean Salt is an explosive opening batter and occasional wicket-keeper from England. Born in Wales, Salt moved to Barbados at a young age. He made the move back to England aged 15 after winning a scholarship to play cricket at Reed School in Surrey and it motivated him to give up football and consider cricket seriously. Later, Salt moved to Sussex academy upon the recommendation of former Surrey cricketer Keith Medlycott, who mentored Salt for a brief period of time. Salt had to wait fairly long to claim his place in the first eleven side, and when he got one, Salt impressed with a fizzy 22 in his debut innings that included three fours and a six, against the likes of Reece Topley and Jamie Porter. A year later, Salt debuted in first-class cricket against the visiting Pakistan side but faded away soon after due to lack of consistency. He struggled to break into the main side but regularly featured in Sussex’s 2nd XI.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Salt found his way into Sussex’s main XI. Most of his success came in the white-ball format and he finished as Sussex’s highest run-getter at England’s T20 Blast in 2019. His flamboyance at the top of the order got him worldwide attention as he was invited to play T20 leagues around the world including the BBL, PSL and the CPL. He also received an England call-up in 2019 but he’d have to wait another 2 years to make his debut when a fresh England squad was announced to face Pakistan in a home ODI series following a Covid-19 breakout. Salt remained on the fringes of the England squad thereafter, occasionally coming in as an injury-replacement. Salt decided to make the move from Sussex to Lancashire in 2021.

His first ODI hundred came in a historic game against the Netherlands in 2022. One of three centurions, Salt made 122 in an innings where England recorded 498 in 50 overs - the highest total in List-A cricket. Salt also featured in England’s squad for the T20 World Cup in 2022. In a tournament that England won, Salt got his break in the semi-final and final after an injury ruled Dawid Malan out.

Salt was bought by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore in the 2022 IPL Auction.

Written by Cricbuzz staff