NEW DELHI: England wicketkeeper-batsman Phil Salt will be absent from the upcoming T20I series against West Indies due to paternity leave, as announced by the ECB on Thursday. Jamie Smith has been selected as his replacement in the squad.The ECB confirmed that Salt is staying home following his child’s birth earlier this week. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Following his impactful innings of 56 not out from 27 deliveries in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 in New Chandigarh, Salt returned home for his child’s birth.He made a quick return to Ahmedabad, arriving at 3 am on Tuesday for the final against Punjab Kings. Despite scoring only 16 runs, his relay catch to dismiss Priyansh Arya proved crucial as RCB secured their first IPL title with a six-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium.Salt was crucial to RCB’s IPL 2025 triumph, accumulating 403 runs across 13 matches at 33.58, striking at 175.98. His campaign included four half-centuries, with 48 boundaries and 22 sixes. He previously played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in their successful IPL 2024 campaign.
The T20I series between England and West Indies begins at Durham’s Riverside Ground on Friday evening, with subsequent matches scheduled in Bristol and June 8 and 10 in Southampton.England’s T20I squad:Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jamie Smith, and Luke Wood
