New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) England skipper Harry Brook was left lost for words after Phil Salt’s blistering 140*, saw the hosts defeat South Africa by 146 runs in the second T20I, to register their biggest victory by margin of runs against any team in the format.

England’s first innings total of 304/2 is their highest total in men’s T20Is and the third highest by any team in the format.

Salt surpassed his previous score of 119 to register a new record of the highest score for T20I’s in England. The 29-year-old smacked 15 boundaries and eight sixes to hit the fastest ton by an English batter in the format.

“Really lost for words, that was phenomenal at the start. With the batting line-up we have got, there are not many heights we cannot reach. Every must-win game we have now, we will look at that T20 World Cup and in that view, it will be an awesome preparation for us. A few tough decisions to be made, and always good to have those debates,” said Brook.

Salt was well supported by his opening partner Jos Buttler who smashed his way to a 30-ball 83. After Buttler’s dismissal, Bethell chipped in 26 runs while skipper Brook continued the momentum and helped England cross the 300-run milestone.

Salt enjoyed England’s massive victory, and despite the personal milestones, the massive victory made it even sweeter for him.

“​​That was really good fun. The personal milestone, but the fact that we got 300 and won by such a big margin, you can’t ask for much more. Sometimes, you know, I’ll pick days where I want to jump-start someone, just because the mood sort of takes me, so it’s a bit of a balancing act, it’s a double-edged sword. Everyone knows it’s a good wicket. Always knew powerplay was going to be important,” said Salt.

–IANS

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