Phil Salt lit up Old Trafford with a record-breaking knock as England posted their biggest Twenty20 win by runs, crushing South Africa by 146 runs on Friday night. Salt smashed an unbeaten 141, the fastest and highest T20 century by an England batter, and shared a breathtaking opening stand with Jos Buttler. Together they fired England to 304 for 2, only the third time in history that a men’s team has crossed the 300 mark in T20 internationals. Buttler added 83 from just 30 deliveries, including a half-century in only 18 balls, the third quickest for England. South Africa, chasing history, never really looked in the contest. They were 64 for 3 after the powerplay and lost skipper Aiden Markram for 41 in the eighth over, which all but sealed their fate. The visitors were bundled out for 158 in the 17th over, suffering their heaviest defeat in the format. For Salt, the evening was unforgettable. “That was really good fun,” he said afterwards. “A personal milestone but the fact we got 300 and won by such a big margin, I can’t have asked for much more.”
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His innings included eight sixes and 15 fours, and he overtook Liam Livingstone’s record for England’s fastest century by reaching three figures in 39 balls. It was also his fourth T20 hundred for England, making him the only player in the side to go beyond one. England’s bowlers then enjoyed their share of success as Jofra Archer picked up 3 for 25, Sam Curran took 2 for 11 and Will Jacks struck twice at the end. The win sets up a decider in Nottingham on Sunday, with Harry Brook pleased about the preparation. “Every must-win game we have now leading to the T20 World Cup is awesome preparation for us,” he said. The night, though, belonged to Salt, who walked off unbeaten, applauded by a buzzing Old Trafford crowd after writing a fresh chapter in England’s white-ball story.
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