(ECB Credit)
England opener Phil Salt experienced a sense of returning to his roots as he arrived at the T20 World Cup venue. Having spent five years residing in Barbados since the age of 10, Salt found himself back where he had once called home. His presence in the stands during England’s victorious 2010 T20 World Cup added an extra layer of nostalgia to his return. Despite his ties to Barbados, Salt ultimately resettled in England and, as a promising talent, had the option to represent either England or the West Indies in cricket.
“Everything about the place suits me. Pretty laid back, a lot of cricket, a lot of sport and I’ve still got a lot of friends on the island,” Salt was quoted as saying by the ICC’s official website for the World Cup.
Returning as a member of England’s defending champion squad, he will take the field as they kick off their campaign against Scotland later today. The right-handed batsman marked his debut in T20 Internationals in January 2022, following his initiation into the One Day Internationals six months prior.
“I watched England here, watched them win it. I think every kid in the crowd would have gone, that’s going to be me one day, or I’d like that to be me one day, but you never believe it,” he said.
“So now to be here in an England shirt, with the opportunity to do something special in the next month is incredible really. I got a touch of the trophy that day.
“That’s the thing that always sticks with me when I think about that day,” he added.
The 27-year-old grew up idolising the likes of Craig Kieswetter and Chris Gayle.
When I was a kid, anybody who hit the ball hard or kept, I’d watch them on YouTube and just try and try and emulate them,” he said.
Now, all he wants is to be a match-winner for England as many times as he can.
“I want to be the person winning more games for England,” he said.
“There’s a bit of a way to go, but that’s absolutely the goal. We’re here to win,” he added.
