Phil Salt will step up as England's wicketkeeper for their upcoming T20I series in the West Indies, even with Jos Buttler rejoining the squad. England's white-ball captain, Buttler, who has kept wicket in 106 of his last 108 T20 internationals, usually dons the gloves but chose to hand over the role during the previous Caribbean tour in December 2023.
Speaking in Barbados before the third ODI, Salt shared that while he hasn’t kept wicket often for England recently, it’s a role he enjoys and believes brings out his best contributions to the team. Salt has kept in 13 out of his 59 matches across all formats, and he currently holds the position in this ODI series, preferred over Jordan Cox, who will replace Test keeper Jamie Smith in the New Zealand series. Buttler had been sidelined for several months with a calf injury. If he had been fit for the T20 series against Australia in September, he intended to let Salt keep while he experimented with captaining from a different position.
Reflecting on his plans, Buttler remarked at the time that he wanted to test captaining from mid-off, believing it might help his leadership. He was open to stepping away from wicketkeeping if it meant a strategic advantage. Having arrived in the Caribbean recently, Buttler trained at the Kensington Oval but will not play in Wednesday’s deciding ODI. He will resume captaincy for the five-match T20I series starting Saturday, marking his first game since England’s T20 World Cup semi-final loss in June. Additionally, Essex wicketkeeper-batter Michael Pepper, initially only named for the ODI squad, has joined the T20 squad and will stay for the series.
Salt, when asked if this move to keep is permanent, replied that the team hasn’t discussed long-term plans yet and that he’s just enjoying the role for now.
Salt made scores of 18 and 59 in the first two ODIs, with his half-century in Antigua playing a crucial role in England’s chase of 329 to level the series. After England's struggles in the first game, where they were bowled out for 209, captain Liam Livingstone criticised the team's performance, urging them to “bat smarter.”
While Salt has proven his mettle in T20 cricket, his ODI performances have been less consistent. He averages 24.30 across his last ten ODIs, with only one half-century, as early dismissals in the powerplay have cut his innings short. Notably, his Antigua innings marked his first time batting beyond the tenth over since June 2022. Salt highlighted the importance of balancing aggression with intelligence in white-ball cricket, noting that extending innings and building partnerships are critical in 50-over matches.
Salt’s recent exposure to ODI cricket began with the series against Australia in September, following his last One-Day experience in the Caribbean the year before. The concurrent scheduling of The Hundred and the One-Day Cup has left many of England’s white-ball newcomers with limited List A experience. Salt explained the difficulty of adjusting to the slower pace needed for ODIs, noting that the lack of consistent 50-over play makes finding rhythm challenging. He expressed a desire for a more regular domestic 50-over competition to allow players to find consistency, though he acknowledged that adaptability is essential with the current setup.