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Phil Salt was taken aback at being overlooked in the Indian Premier League auction but used the snub as motivation to inspire England to a T20 series-levelling victory over the West Indies.<\/p>\n
While England team-mates Chris Woakes and Harry Brook saw their bank balances given a healthy top-up after going under the hammer in Dubai on Tuesday, there were no takers for Salt among IPL franchises.<\/p>\n
Salt made a couple of fifties in his debut season earlier this year, striking at 163.91 in nine matches for Delhi Capitals, so he was aggrieved to wake up in the Caribbean and find he had attracted no bids.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C1DW6zBuGul<\/p>\n
But three days on from a match-winning century in Grenada, Salt thumped an England T20 record 119 off 57 balls in Trinidad as the tourists set up a winner-takes-all showdown at the same venue on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a confusing morning,\u201d Salt said after England\u2019s 75-run thumping win in the fourth T20. \u201cI expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a bit confused but it can happen. It\u2019s part of a lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There\u2019s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I\u2019m over the moon for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very lucky with what we do. There have been a few things recently that have maybe put it in perspective. I\u2019m just here enjoying my cricket and cracking on.\u201d<\/p>\n
There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them<\/p>\n
As for whether he channelled his frustration at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba to underpin England\u2019s highest ever T20 total of 267 for three, Salt admitted his IPL omission may have played its part.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was probably a little bit of it, subconsciously,\u201d he said, before reiterating: \u201cI\u2019m very aware of how lucky I am to be here playing cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
The foundations for England\u2019s gargantuan total were laid by a second successive century partnership between Salt and Jos Buttler, who contributed 55 to a 117-run stand in 9.5 overs before holing out.<\/p>\n
Liam Livingstone thumped the last of England\u2019s 20 sixes \u2013 equalling their record in T20s \u2013 with half of them coming from Salt, who is the first man from the country to make more than one ton in the format.<\/p>\n
Salt opens the batting for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast and for Manchester Originals in The Hundred alongside England captain Buttler, who apparently keeps his junior partner in check.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re in the middle, it\u2019s more getting me back in my box,\u201d Salt said. \u201cIt\u2019s either \u2018you\u2019re doing really well\u2019 or \u2018drop it down a gear\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had some good conversations away from the game, we\u2019ve enjoyed spending time around each other as a group so we\u2019re going nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Windies were left with not much choice but to hit the ground running from ball one and while they themselves collected 14 sixes of their own, they were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.<\/p>\n
Reece Topley claimed three for 37 while there were a couple of wickets apiece for Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed and one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid as England levelled the series at 2-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boys have really pulled together and shown what a good team we are,\u201d Salt added. \u201cTo win back-to-back games and force the decider in a couple of days\u2019 time, I\u2019m chuffed.\u201d<\/p>\n