Phil Salt sums up Babar Azam's lack of six-hitting ability in double-quick time in T20Is
England defeated Ireland in the first of the three-match T20I series on Wednesday as they chased down 197 runs in less than 18 overs. Phil Salt was the star, smashing 89 runs off just 46 balls with 10 fours and four sixes to his name and in the process, exposed Babar Azam as well in T20Is.
England opener Phil Salt has been in sensational form in T20Is at the moment. Within a week after smashing 144 runs off just 60 balls against South Africa, he was at it again on Wednesday, scoring 89 runs off just 46 balls in the first T20I against Ireland in the first T20I, played in Dublin. But how did he expose Babar Azam's lack of six-hitting ability in the shortest format? Let us have a look:
Salt has played 46 T20Is so far, and in 43 innings, he has scored 1423 runs at an average of 38.45 and a strike rate of 170.82. His strike rate is the highest among the full member nations' players who have scored more than 1000 runs in T20Is. At the same, in just 43 innings, the England opener has smashed 73 sixes in the format so far.
Interestingly, Pakistan's Babar Azam has also hit as many sixes as Salt so far, but after playing 128 T20Is. This is absolutely stunning to know that Salt has already equalled the former Pakistan captain in this aspect despite playing only one-third matches compared to Babar.
This makes it clear why Babar Azam was being criticised for his batting in the shortest format of the game. With all due respect to him, he is still one of the best players in Pakistan. But the modern-day cricket has changed so much that hitting sixes has to be given a priority and Babar clearly struggled at that.
Comparing Phil Salt and Babar Azam's stats after 73 sixes in T20Is
| Players | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike-Rate | Fours and Sixes |
| Phil Salt | 46 | 43 | 1423 | 38.45 | 170.82 | 141 and 73 |
| Babar Azam | 128 | 121 | 4223 | 39.83 | 129.22 | 447 and 73 |
What happened in ENG vs IRE T20I?
As far as the first T20I between England and Ireland in Dublin is concerned, the hosts did well to smash 196 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker smashed half-centuries to propel Ireland to a huge score. However, it didn't prove to be enough as Salt showed his hitting range with his 89-run knock while the rest of the batters also chipped in to chase the score down in just 17.4 overs.
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