Phil Salt shows why Adelaide Strikers rate him so highly as he explodes onto BBL scene against Melbourne Renegades
Star Adelaide Strikers recruit Phil Salt has found his BBL groove and is ready to bring in the New Year with some of his own special fireworks with the willow.
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Powerful opener Phil Salt has the monkey off his back and is ready to bring the fireworks to the Adelaide Strikers’ biggest game of the season - the New Year’s Eve Big Bash blockbuster at Adelaide Oval.
Much-heralded upon his arrival at the Strikers for BBL09, the English import had yet to truly fire for Adelaide in his first three games - making a five-ball duck, two and 14.
But the 23-year-old was rewarded for brave batting in the Strikers’ impressive 18-run win over the defending champions Melbourne Renegades on Sunday night - walloping 54 runs off 26 balls at the start of Adelaide’s innings.
Ahead of Tuesday’s huge NYE clash against Sydney Thunder, Salt said a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
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“First couple (of games) I didn’t get the runs I wanted to, but it’s a long comp and there is a lot of cricket to be played,” he said.
“It was good (to get the runs), it was quite a difficult surface and the best time to bat was at the top of the order.
“It was nice to get the boys off to a flyer like that.
“Some of the fields that were set for me and some of the lengths bowled to me suited my game plan, so I took it from there.”
With the maiden BBL half century in the bag, Salt now is looking to inflict some pain on the Thunder - after the Strikers’ first game against the Sydney in Canberra was abandoned because of smoke from raging bushfires.
“I hope so, I’ve heard it is a great game,” Salt said.
“All I’ve heard since I signed with the Strikers is how good it is so I’m looking forward to that one.”
Salt also said it was time for the BBL to introduce a Decision Review System (DRS) after one of the strangest moments in the competition’s nine-season history.
Rashid Khan, who was named player of the match for his 2/15 and 25, was convinced he had trapped Beau Webster LBW in his final over of the match and as umpire Greg Davidson’s finger went up it looked like the Strikers had another key wicket.
However, in a moment that immediately went viral, Davidson then diverted to scratch his nose, to the disbelief of Khan and stand-in-skipper Alex Carey who thought the wicket had been given, and said Webster was not out.
Salt said the belief among Strikers players was that Webster had nicked the ball.
“He’s only human isn’t he? Everybody gets things wrong, but if he thinks that’s the right decision and he sticks with it then fair play to him,” he said.
But Salt did say it could have been different if the game became a close one, and the BBL should follow other international T20 leagues.
“If I was batting I would love to see that,” he said.
“(But) it’s a good thing it didn’t end up affecting the game that’s all I’m going to say because if the game had gotten a bit tighter or if they nicked it, everybody would have been saying something different.
“A lot of other leagues around the world have DRS and the grounds you have in the Big Bash, the spectacle what it is, sooner or later it will need DRS.”
The Strikers have made one change to their 13-man squad for the NYE clash, recalling Harry Conway for Liam O’Connor.
TEAM SQUADS
ADELAIDE
Alex Carey (c)
Wes Agar
Harry Conway
Rashid Khan
Harry Nielsen
Phil Salt
Matt Short
Peter Siddle
Billy Stanlake
Cameron Valente
Jake Weatherald
Jon Wells
Cameron White
THUNDER
Callum Ferguson (C)
Jonathan Cook
Brendan Doggett
Matthew Gilkes
Chris Green
Alex Hales
Usman Khawaja
Nathan McAndrew
Chris Morris
Arjun Nair
Alex Ross
Daniel Sams
Chris Tremain