ENG vs WI: Phil Salt to Miss West Indies T20s After Welcoming Newborn, Withdraws from England Squad

England opener Phil Salt will miss the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies as he’s been given paternity leave, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.

“England and Lancashire batter Phil Salt has been granted permission to withdraw from the England Men's T20I squad for the upcoming three-match Vitality 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 has been replaced in the squad by Surrey batter Jamie Smith,” the ECB confirmed via an official statement.

Phil Salt flew back home for the birth of his child after playing a brilliant unbeaten knock of 56 off just 27 balls helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025, held in New Chandigarh. He then made his way to Ahmedabad, arriving at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, just in time for the final clash against the same team. Though he scored only 16 runs in the final, his sharp relay catch to dismiss Priyansh Arya played a key role in setting the momentum for RCB. The team went on to win the match by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium, finally lifting their first-ever IPL trophy after 18 long years.

Phil Salt had a great season with RCB in IPL 2025. He scored 403 runs in 13 matches, with an average of 33.58 and a strike rate of 175.98. He hit four fifties, along with 48 fours and 22 sixes. Before this, he was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team that won IPL 2024. England’s T20I series against the West Indies begins on Friday evening at the Riverside Ground in Durham. The next two matches will be played in Bristol and Southampton on June 8 and 10.

England squad for T20I series vs West Indies 

Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire).

England vs West Indies T20I Series 2025 Schedule

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