History was made on an incredible night in Manchester as Phil Salt’s pyrotechnics blasted England to Twenty20 international cricket’s first 300 score against a Test nation.
Records were not so much broken as obliterated at Salt’s home ground of Emirates Old Trafford as South Africa were taken for 304 for two, making a mockery of England’s run of 13 defeats in 21 previous limited-overs matches this calendar year.
The 29-year-old set the tone by hitting the first three deliveries of the match to the boundary on the way to a 39-ball hundred, the fourth of his T20 international career, and the fastest by an England batsman – surpassing Lancashire team-mate Liam Livingstone’s 42-ball effort against Pakistan four years ago.
Five days after inflicting the most emphatic defeat by runs in one-day international history (342) on the same opponents, England ran amok again, levelling the series with their biggest ever T20 success and setting up a decider in Nottingham on Sunday afternoon, weather permitting.
In between, Salt had been dismissed first ball and dropped a catch in a soggy series opening defeat in Cardiff.
‘T20 can be a little bit fickle at times,’ he smiled, after posting England’s best individual innings of 141 not out.
Phil Salt hit an unbeaten 141 off just 60 balls as England thrashed South Africa by 146 runs
Salt put on an incredible display of hitting and posted England’s highest ever score in T20Is
Jos Buttler also smashed 83 off just 30 balls as England racked up a record-breaking 304-2
But did he ever think 300 was possible?
‘Honestly, no. It’s a hell of an achievement.’ Adding: ‘Only when Harry Brook came in was it mentioned. I thought they would find a way to shut us down, but the way we played didn’t allow it.’
Seldom can an innings of 83 off 30 balls been overshadowed, either, but that was the fate of Jos Buttler – who became the first of two victims for Bjorn Fortuin, the South Africa spinner who will dash to Edgbaston to represent Hampshire at Twenty20 finals day on Saturday – when he whipped straight into the hands of deep square leg.
England had powered to their maiden three-figure power play in this format by that stage on the way to posting an international best 166 for one by the halfway stage of a T20 innings.
Jacob Bethell and Brook maintained the extraordinary tempo during stands of 95 and 83, but it was Salt, who with a rare mishit single in the 18th over neatly moved himself beyond his old career-best of 119 made in England’s previous high water mark of 267 for three, against West Indies in Trinidad in December 2023.
Salt was reprieved on 126 when he hit Jansen to deep midwicket and Kwena Maphaka’s heel brushed the boundary cushion, gifting him a seventh of eight sixes.
The eighth, off Kagiso Rabada in the final over, took England past India’s 297 for six versus Bangladesh – the closest any major cricket country had come to that magical 300-mark in a contest between two established teams before this extraordinary evening.
Jofra Archer was the pick of England’s bowlers as South Africa fell well short on 158 all out
The emphatic victory saw England level the series at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s deciding game
Had it not been for Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett resting, it was not certain that Salt, who gave up his spot earlier this summer to go on paternity leave would have been playing.
‘It would be quite an arrogant thing to ask for a guarantee of a place in an international side,’ he said of that decision.
South Africa put the quality of the surface into context by racing to 50 without loss after 3.3 overs – just a ball behind England – but coach Shukri Conrad slammed an ‘abject performance’ by his team, adding that the bowling was ‘bereft of ideas.’
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