How Ireland can stop Phil Salt and England in Friday's second T20I

September 18, 2025

Ireland meet England on Friday in the second match of their T20I series, looking to level the three-match series. But in order to do that, they must come up with a plan on how to deal with Phil Salt and England.

Ireland put up a decent fight in the first T20I after batting first, setting England 197 to win, which the tourists managed with 14 balls to spare. The in-form Phil Salt led the charge with 89, and going into the second match of the series, Ireland must try to contain the threat of the Lancashire player if they’re to stand a chance of keeping the series alive.

Salt top scored on Wednesday, and he’s 11/4 with Irish betting sites to be his country’s top scorer once again on Friday.

The 89 off 46 balls Salt scored was a really commanding innings. and showed that he likes to start fast, especially in the powerplay. Ireland’s bowlers leaked a lot in the first 6 overs: England scored 84 in that spell, and they simply can’t afford to do that again.

The talented batter is aggressive against pace and doesn’t shy away from risk and loves to punish any loose deliveries. Aside from him, England’s batting depth also means pressure isn’t just on the openers; other batters can rotate strike and capitalise on momentum and get the game won.

Bowlers must step up for Ireland in second T20I

Ireland are at a slight disadvantage and will be without key seam bowlers Josh Little, Mark Adair, and Fionn Hand, who are injured and out of the series, although Ireland didn’t seem to miss the trio too much on Wednesday.

Regardless, with those three missing, it still reduces their ability to use variety and strike from the new ball and also means heavier reliance on those who are available, such as Matthew Humphreys and Graham Hume, who took two wickets each in Wednesday’s defeat. Harry Tector and Gareth Delany also showed they can do damage with the ball.

Ireland need their bowlers to stand up and make a difference again if they have any chance of levelling the series.

Key strategies for Ireland to stop Salt & England

On the eve of the second T20 International, here are a few ways Ireland can combat the threat of Salt and England.

Paul Stirling and his side should plan to attack in the powerplay with precision and variation, which will see their best available new-ball bowlers challenge Salt’s timing and try to tempt him with fuller, angled deliveries rather than straight ones where he can swing freely. They should also think about mixing pace and bounce and force him to take risks early rather than letting him settle in. Alternatively a a slower bowler or spinner might be the key to disrupting his rhythm.

Ireland need to stop him from getting momentum. This means the hosts need to target dot balls and tight overs, forcing singles rather than boundaries. This will keep the pressure via fielding, stopping easy ones, and saving boundaries, and giving away runs between the wickets will slow the scoring rate.

Captain Paul Stirling and his bowlers must agree on clear plans for phases: powerplay, middle overs and death overs, and avoid Salt and England getting any easy freebies, and if Salt is dominating early, Stirling must change plans quicker and change their bowler and field.

Attack will be Ireland’s best form of defence

Ireland can’t afford to focus solely on Salt; England have a talented batting line-up, so pressure must be put on them from either setting a big score or chasing down their target with ease.

They must also aggressively approach the game just like England will. Ireland have nothing to lose, so attack is the best form of defence and if they take early wickets, England may begin to look shaky. If they do that, they give themself a great chance in Friday’s second T20I.