Salt Shakers: England Crushes South Africa with Record-Breaking Triumph in 2nd T20I

Phil Salt delivered a stellar performance, scoring an unbeaten 141 off just 60 balls, as England dominated South Africa with a massive score of 304 for two in the second T20 international at Old Trafford. England claimed victory by 146 runs, with several records shattering in the process.

Opting to bat first, England launched an aggressive assault from the start. Salt set a new record with his T20 score, marking the highest by an England batsman, while the team achieved the highest total by a full member nation in T20 history.

South Africa struggled with their bowling and faltered with the bat, ultimately reaching 158 all out in 16.1 overs. Their defeat allowed England to even the series at 1-1, with a decisive match set for Sunday in Nottingham.

Salt expressed his delight, saying, “It was really good fun, a personal milestone, but also the fact we got to 300 and won by such a big margin, you cannot ask for much more.”

Jos Buttler set the tone for England initially, scoring a rapid 83 from 30 balls before being dismissed when attempting a sweep against spinner Bjorn Fortuin.

England shattered its previous records, scoring 100 runs in the powerplay within just six overs and achieving the highest T20 international score at the 10-over mark with 166-1. Salt reached his century in just 39 balls, breaking Liam Livingstone’s previous record of 42 balls for England, and surpassed his own highest score of 119 for the team.

England’s total surpassed their previous best of 267-2 against the West Indies in 2023, driven by exceptional batting and subpar bowling from South Africa. It marked South Africa’s highest runs conceded and their heaviest defeat in T20s.

With intelligent bowling strategies, including varying pace and maintaining disciplined lines, England stifled South Africa’s batters. South Africa’s captain, Aiden Markram, admitted, “It was a tough one. We started getting it wrong from the toss; that one is on me. Two masterclasses up front from them, and when you are put under that kind of pressure, it is hard to pull it back. We will have to come up with some good plans and take it on again on Sunday.”

Published on September 13, 2025.