AUS vs ENG: We've Got An Eye On The World Cup - England Opener Phil Salt Ahead Of T20 Series Against Australia

England will play Australia in a three-match T20i series in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The English team will play the first T20I match of the series at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 10. The Jos Buttler-led side will open their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against Afghanistan on Sunday, October 22 at the same venue.

For the first time since 2019, the 60,000-seat stadium will host international cricket. Phil Salt scored a 31-ball 59 for the Adelaide Strikers against the Perth Scorchers in January 2020 in Perth. He has fond memories of playing at the venue that will host the T20 World Cup in 2022.

Expecting Fast And Bouncy Wicket – Phil Salt

Salt’s destructive and hard-hitting batting ability is perfectly suited to the Optus Stadium surface and outfield, which often fuels high-scoring BBL contests. The Scorchers made a smart move when they selected Salt in the inaugural BBL draft in August.

“Expecting it to be fast and bouncy. It’s a good wicket to bat, suits my game. The boundaries are pretty big square and generally does suit the guys who are stronger square of the wicket,” he told reporters on Friday.

The England captain Jos Buttler is expected to return from a calf injury in the first T20I of the series against Australia in Perth on Sunday, but who will open the innings alongside him at the World Cup is still not certain.

England batsman Phil Salt’s unbeaten 88 off just 41 balls helped the visitors to chase down 170 against Pakistan in the sixth T20I and he was awarded the player-of-the-match award for his performance.

With Jonny Bairstow injured, Alex Hales was called up and is still expected to be Buttler’s opening partner, despite Salt outperforming him. Hales has more experience in Australia’s Big Bash League, so he will surely get the nod ahead of Salt.

“Not too sure right now. It’s not a conversation we’ve had yet,” Salt said when asked if he had been given clarity on his role in Australia.

Liam Livingstone Done Really Well – Phil Salt

Salt said he will seek advice from teammate and former Scorchers star Liam Livingstone as he looks to shine against a weakened Australia attack in the series opener.

“Obviously he’s done really well here and it would be silly not to lean on him on exactly how to play these conditions,” he said.

England are confident ahead of the World Cup. They enter the World Cup as one of the favourites after a thrilling 4-3 T20 series win over Pakistan.

“It’s a series to win and we’ve got an eye on the World Cup. It’s very important to keep the momentum rolling after Pakistan. To beat them in their own conditions…that’s very tough to do, “he said.

“We played with a lot of guys who hadn’t played much international cricket so we’re pretty happy with how that went. We want to keep the ball rolling and continue the momentum.”

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