Follow UsPhil Salt might be one of the best openers going around in T20 cricket, but the explosive right-hander has struggled to crack the ODI format.
After 30 ODI innings, Salt averages just 32.66 and he’s found it impossible to bat long, with the 28-year-old facing 30+ balls in an innings just 20% of the time in his career (6/30 innings).
He registered scores of 10 (6) and 12 (13) in England’s first two games of the Champions Trophy and has come under scrutiny for being a severe underperformer, particularly on the back of the team’s premature exit from the major event.
In a video on his YouTube channel dissecting England’s CT 2025 campaign, Ravichandran Ashwin expressed disbelief over Salt’s impatience to stick around and bat long in 50-over cricket.
“Phil Salt is a vera level (next level) player. What’s the need for such impatience?,” Ashwin questioned, talking on his YouTube channel.
“50 overs is a long time. Even I can’t sit down and watch the entire 50 overs, there is so much time.
“You’re being given a match fee, you’re being flown [for free], you’re being given a daily allowance, you’re being provided [free] transport, you’ve been provided with the best analysts in the world. All this and you still can’t find the patience to bat 50 overs? I can’t fathom it at all.”
Against Afghanistan, Salt got bowled trying to slog Azmatullah Omarzai across the line. His last five ODI scores read 12, 10, 23, 26 & 43, with him failing to bat 30+ balls even once.