Everything about this place suits me: England's Phil Salt revels in Caribbean homecoming

NEW DELHI: England opener Phil Salt had a homecoming of sorts when he arrived in Barbados for the T20 World Cup.

Salt spent five years living in Barbados after relocating to the island at the age of 10. He was present in the stands when England emerged victorious in the 2010 T20 World Cup.

Eventually, Salt returned to England, and as a rising player, he had the option to represent the West Indies as well.

"Everything about the place suits me. Pretty laid back, a lot of cricket, a lot of sport and I've still got a lot of friends on the island," Salt was quoted as saying by the ICC's official website for the World Cup.

Salt is now part of defending champion team, which will commence its campaign against Scotland later on Wednesday.

He made his T20 International debut in January 2022, half a year after his first appearance in ODIs.

"I watched England here, watched them win it. I think every kid in the crowd would have gone, that's going to be me one day, or I'd like that to be me one day, but you never believe it," he said.

"So now to be here in an England shirt, with the opportunity to do something special in the next month is incredible really. I got a touch of the trophy that day.

"That's the thing that always sticks with me when I think about that day," he added.

Growing up, the 27-year-old admired players like Craig Kieswetter and Chris Gayle.

"When I was a kid, anybody who hit the ball hard or kept, I'd watch them on YouTube and just try and try and emulate them," he said.

Now, all he wants is to be a match-winner for England as many times as he can.

"I want to be the person winning more games for England," he said.

"There's a bit of a way to go, but that's absolutely the goal. We're here to win," he added.

(With inputs from PTI)