England batter to miss T20I series against West Indies

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) granted permission for star batter Phil Salt to withdraw from the T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies.

Salt, who is taking time away on paternity leave following the birth of his child earlier this week, will now spend time at home.

He was away from his family due to his participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he played for the eventual champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

However, he briefly flew back to England to be with his partner, Abe Salt, for the birth of their first child.

He returned to India in time for the final match against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, which RCB won, clinching their first-ever IPL trophy after an 18-year wait.

It’s worth noting that Phil Salt was instrumental in RCB’s title victory, having scored 403 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 175.98.

Meanwhile, the ECB named Surrey batter Jamie Smith as Salt’s replacement in the squad for the T20I series against the West Indies, which will start on June 6 in Durham.

The second T20I is scheduled in Bristol on June 8, while the third match will be played on June 10 at Southampton

England squad for T20I series against West Indies

Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood (Lancashire)

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