LONDON: Opener Phil Salt smashed an unbeaten 141 from 60 balls in England’s mammoth total of 304 for two as the home side thrashed South Africa by 146 runs in the second T20 international on Friday as records tumbled at Old Trafford.
Having been sent to bat, the host attacked the bowling from the opening delivery as Salt posted a record T20 score for an England batsman, and his team scored the most runs ever by a full member nation in this format.
South Africa was desperately poor with the ball and had to be perfect with the bat, but was never up with the rate and managed 158 all out in 16.1 overs as England levelled the series at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s decider in Nottingham.
“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,” Salt said.
“It is a really good wicket in the powerplay, and we knew it might slow up a bit later on. It is my home ground and I knew the powerplay would be important, so I took it on.”
Jos Buttler was the initial aggressor for the home side as he raced to 83 from 30 deliveries before he was out attempting a sweep off spinner Bjorn Fortuin.
England had already broken its record for most runs in a T20 powerplay with 100 from six overs, and managed the highest score in all T20 internationals at the 10-over mark with 166-1.
Salt got to 100 in 39 deliveries, breaking Liam Livingston’s previous England record of reaching three figures in 42 balls, and then beat his own record of 119 for the team.
England easily surpassed its previous highest total of 267-2 against the West Indies in 2023 and kept going as a mixture of sublime batting and woeful bowling propelled them along.
It is the most runs conceded by South Africa in T20s and ended up as its biggest loss in the format.
England was much smarter with the ball, and its change of pace and more disciplined lines meant South Africa, needing to go in sixth gear, was unable to build momentum with the bat.
“It was a tough one,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. “We started getting it wrong from the toss; that one is on me.” Agencies
Highest totals in T20Is:
Team Total Against Year
Zimbabwe 344/4 Gambia 2024
Nepal 314/3 Mongolia 2023
England 304/2 South Africa 2025
India 297/6 Bangladesh 2024
Zimbabwe 286/5 Seychelles 2024
India 283/1 South Africa 2024
Afghanistan 278/3 Ireland 2019
England scale new T20I peaks:
n 48 boundaries by England - 30 fours and 18 sixes - is the second most by a team in a T20I innings, only behind Zimbabwe's 57 (30 fours and 27 sixes) against Gambia in Nairobi in 2024.
n 12.1 overs taken by England to get to 200-mark is the earliest a team has got to that milestone across all T20 games, where ball-by-ball details are available. The previous quickest being Zimbabwe's 12.5 overs against Gambia in Nairobi in 2024.
n 304/2 by England is the third instance of a team passing 300 in T20 Internationals and the first such instance achieved against a Full Member team, the previous highest being India's 297/6 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad last year.
n 146 runs- The winning margin for England - the highest ever by runs margin for them in a T20I surpassing the 137-run win against West Indies in Basseterre in 2019. It also happens to be the biggest defeat for South Africa by runs, going past the 135-run defeat to India in Johannesburg in 2024.
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