T20 World Cup 2024: Phil Salts ticket for the USA and West Indies guaranteed by Australian legend

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is really impressed by England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt’s explosive batting performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Lee has thrown his weight behind Salt, backing his inclusion in England's squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. He insisted that Salt's dazzling performances with the bat for the KKR in the ongoing IPL 2024 make him a strong candidate for England's roster in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, which will start on June 1.

The right-handed batter has emerged as a key asset for the KKR in their batting lineup this season. His standout performance came in during KKR's commanding 7-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their latest IPL 2024 game on April 29 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Phil Salt starred with the bat in KKR's 7-wicket win over DC

The DC captain, Rishabh Pant, opted to bat first at the Eden Gardens after winning the toss and then suffered a major blow from an onslaught of Salt's aggressive batting. The KKR opener played a blistering knock of 68 runs off just 33 balls, studded with 7 fours and 5 sixes, and set the tone for his team's successful chase of 154 runs against Delhi in Kolkata.

Notably, Salt joined the KKR squad as a replacement for his fellow England opener Jason Roy, who withdrew from IPL 2024 due to workload management concerns. This decision has proven to be a stroke of luck for the two-time IPL champions, as Salt has been amazing with the bat for them.

The Englishman has so far amassed 392 runs in the 9 matches he has played in the ongoing IPL 2024. Well, this performance was enough to impress Lee, who said the England selectors must select him for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024. The former Australian pacer also explained how Salt's batting style aligns perfectly with England’s plans for the mega event.

Brett Lee wants England to pick Phil Salt in T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Brett Lee said on Star Sports: “I would definitely pick him. His game to me looks uncomplicated, it looks very structured in a sense where he knows exactly through his mind what he's doing, doesn't try to over-hit the ball, he is a very clean hitter of the ball, such a great ball striker, but doesn't go out there and try to, you know, do all these different funky little shots."

"The ball's up, he hits you in the area where he's meant to hit you, and he backs himself, which is, you know, the most important part of it.”

Speaking about the KKR vs DC match, Delhi captain and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s 27 and chainaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav’s unbeaten 35 took the tourists to 153/9, with Varun Chakaravarthy emerging as the standout bowler for KKR with impressive figures of 3/16 in 4 overs.

Apart from Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana also scalped two wickets each against DC. Chasing the target, Salt’s explosive fifty, captain Shreyas Iyer’s 33*, and Venkatesh Iyer’s 26* were enough to take the KKR over the line with 21 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hand against the DC.