Phil Salt named his England teammate Jofra Archer as the fastest bowler he has ever faced. Salt was blown away by Archer’s raw pace and admitted being at the receiving end of his lethal bouncers. Salt and Archer are in England’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. England will face Scotland in their tournament opener at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, on Wednesday 4 June.
While speaking at the Knights Dugout podcast, Salt admitted that he dreaded facing Archer in the nets. Salt recalled being beaten by Archer’s scorching pace and also said that it helped him sharpen his reflexes.
“I think Jofra is the fastest I have faced in the nets and that too from 18 yards. He bowls it at that pace from 18 yards with three bouncers in an over. It’s good because it helps sharpen the reflexes but there have been times when he’s hit me right before the match day and then all hell has broken loose,” Salt revealed.
ARCHER’S COMEBACK AFTER A YEAR
Archer will be making a comeback to the England side after recovering from an elbow injury. The England pacer’s last international appearance came over a year ago during team’s tour to Bangladesh in March 2023.
The T20 World Cup squad will also face Pakistan in a 4-match T20I series. Due to which, the England stars, including Salt, Jos Buttler, Will Jacks and Reece Topley have opted out of IPL 2024 mid-way through the season. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule
Salt has been a vital cog in KKR’s successful campaign this season as he has scored 435 runs in 12 matches at a staggering strike rate of 182.01.
“MY PHONE GOT FLOODED WITH MESSAGES”
Phil Salt opened up on his experience of being selected in the England’s squad for the very first time. He revealed that it was the first time his phone blew up with congratulatory messages after he made a cut to England’s 15-member squad.
“That was my first experience at being flooded with messages on my phone. I’m generally not someone who uses the phone a lot, but it was an incredible experience. My phone was blowing up with messages congratulating me and it was great,” Salt added.
The batter made his ODI debut for England in July 2021 against Pakistan. His debut in the shortest format came against West Indies in January 2022.
ENGLAND’S T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
