KARACHI, Sep 19(ABC): England’s wicket-keeper batter Phil Salt feels that the experience of playing in the Pakistan Super League( PSL) has given him and other players a “very good idea of conditions and wickets in Pakistan.”
At least 11 players of England’s team currently visiting Pakistan have played PSL at some stage. Salt is one of them as he has played for Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United.
The 26-year-old cricketer, who is also a favourite of England’s XI in the initial part of the T20Is, said that having team members playing in PSL is a “very important aspect” for the England team.
“We’ve got a good idea obviously, played here for three years, and been part of winning campaign at Lahore Qalandars. So, I’ve played around the country, and I am aware of the different conditions, how different pitches play and when you come in to play in away series [for your country].
Stuff like that can only help you, and it’s not just me, it’s a lot of the squad that have come over here and played PSL”.
“We’ve spoken as a group quite a lot about what different surfaces might do and how it’s best to play on them,” said the cricketer who has represented England in eight ODIs and four T20Is.
He said that it was very important to come to Pakistan for PSL and play before we come out here, which just gives you such a better idea of what to expect and what the best bowlers do on these sorts of wickets,” the English cricketer said.
Sharing his ideas about wickets in Pakistan, Salt said that the wickets here are different from other places in the subcontinent and it feels like the wickets are almost exclusive over here as they don’t bounce very much, but they’re still quite quick.
“The only wicket I’ve played on which is similar to Karachi or Lahore would probably be Sharjah,” he added.
Salt mentioned that many batters and bowlers have played PSL and performed well on these wickets, which is a big boost for the group.
Replying to a question, the English cricketer said that the series against Pakistan will be very important for his side and they’ll be looking forward to performing well and boosting their confidence ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, the England cricketer added that Pakistan is a “very tough side” and England will have to play really well if they want to win the series.
“We’re obviously very aware of how good Pakistan are, the side that takes some beating, especially at home, we obviously respect them massively as a side. And we know that if we want to come away with the series, we’re going to have to play some really good cricket all the way through,” he said.
“It is an important series. I imagine every country right now would probably be wanting to sort of hit the World Cup run. So, it’s very important that we pick up a little bit of rhythm here and put Pakistan under pressure, and I know that’s not what you want, but we put Pakistan under pressure and aim to get off to the best start that we can,” the England cricketer concluded.