My job is to get the boys off to a flier: Salt

Phil Salt, who smashed an impressive half-century in the second ODI against Pakistan, could have represented West Indies, thanks to his Barbados upbringing. The hard-hitting opener was born in Wales but his family moved to Barbados when he was 10. He played for the Barbados Under-15 side and almost made it to the Under-19 team before committing his future to Sussex.

"Yes, I was available for selection for the Barbados Under-19 team. I qualified through citizenship. I'd lived there for X amount of years which made me eligible. I played Under-15 but never any further," said Salt.

"I was born in North Wales but my dad was a property developer out there (in the Caribbean). I spent six years there and then came over to the UK to go to boarding school. I was at school in Surrey and was sort of on the fringes of Surrey. But Sussex saw me play and gave me an opportunity.

"I didn't get selected (for Barbados Under-19s). But even if it I was selected, I was going to stay in England and keep playing second team cricket for Sussex. I thought there was a lot more longevity (of career in England) and I saw a pathway, right from the very start with Sussex, to build myself into the cricketer that I wanted to be."

Playing only his second ODI, Salt slammed 10 fours in his 54-ball 60 and got England off to a flying start. The hosts lost Dawid Malan and Zak Crawley inside five overs but that didn't stop Salt from playing his natural game. 

"You know, coming in, you have to try and play that role as best you can. You look at the way that England played in the last few years with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow up at the top. That is what they do and that's why they're getting England into such good positions in the game.

"There was a moment where I did question what to do next: whether to consolidate or take the game on and try and give us the impetus back. Right from the very start, coming into the England set-up, it is something that Morgan has always been crystal clear on: we take the game on; we take the positive option. So that decision was fairly easy to take from the words that I heard in previous times being in an England cap.

"It's the blueprint of what has been so successful in 50-overs cricket. It's pretty simple: my job is to get the boys off to a flier. It doesn't mean it's all big shots: a good ball is still a good ball and you have to play it with respect. But if you get any width or any length I am definitely looking to jump all over that."

Salt said there's enough depth in the county cricket but also credited his experience of playing in various franchise-based T20 leagues. The 24-year-old is yet to feature in the IPL but has already played in the BBL, the CPL and the PSL.

"This success speaks volumes for the strength of county cricket," he said. "I think for a lot of the lads as well, franchise opportunities overseas help. Not just playing up in the highest standard of cricket that you do see in franchise cricket, but also the sort of big occasions with bigger, noisier crowds.

"Playing that higher level of cricket overseas and also learning to sort of play in those high pressure environments, stands you in good stead and, and I think that's what the majority of the lads in the squad have done."

It won't be too long before Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy return to the side but Salt is not "looking too far ahead".

"I'd love to play for England for as long as I possibly can. Obviously, we're the best side in the world. So, it's a tough one to break into. I've not got any sort of route into the side planned out in my head. But at the moment, for these three games, it's about taking every opportunity that I can with both hands. And that's as simple as it gets really."