England v West Indies - Phil Salt and Saqib Mahmood ready for final ODI series before Brendon McCullum era

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The weather outside is a clear indicator that the English cricket season is over- and ManchesterWorld spoke to two England internationals who are familiar with Emirates Old Trafford.

Phil Salt is the leading run scorer for the Manchester Originals men’s team, scoring over 900 runs in The Hundred since the tournament's conception in 2021. Saqib Mahmood is from Birmingham but has played his county cricket for Lancashire since 2015, taking plenty of wickets including 44 in the Vitality T20 Blast. 

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The pair found themselves in the white ball set up for England and played in either the IT20 or ODI series against Australia. A winter trip to the West Indies is on the cards for the players who will be keen to make an impact in the Caribbean. 

Speaking at the launch of the new Cinch store in Manchester, located just around the corner from Emirates Old Trafford, Saqib and Phil chatted to ManchesterWorld. Reflecting on the summer and summarising their time playing in Manchester, Salt and Mahmood had plenty to say.   

Phil Salt in action against Australia.Phil Salt in action against Australia.
Phil Salt in action against Australia. | Getty Images

“The crowd is the thing that separates Old Trafford from other venues,” Salt said on the premier Manchester cricket ground. He is the leading appearance maker for The Originals, and is a big-hitting batter.  

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“You always get good support, it’s not a nice place to play as an away player, or so I’ve been told. It makes you quite proud as a player to hear that. It’s a special place to play cricket. We’ve had some good years and we’re coming back from a year that wasn’t our best, so hopefully we can get out there next year and give the fans something to shout about.” 

Mahmood has called Old Trafford his home for most of his career, making plenty of fans whilst representing Lancashire. He was equally positive about the Old Trafford playing experience, highlighting that the crowd get behind the home side when games get tight.  

He said: “I think the support you get at Old Trafford is better than most places. There are a couple of other grounds like Edgbaston and Headingley where you get good support as a player, but Old Trafford is up there. You definitely know when the game is getting tight that the fans will get behind you and that’s huge. Playing in the T20 Blast and games getting tight is great, the fans there are diehards and are passionate about the game. 

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Mahmood added that the passion of the fans is clear to see, and can be felt on the pitch. 

“They get frustrated when the team isn’t doing well but it shows that they love the county. As players we need to back that, especially in white ball we’ve nearly qualified every year and now we just need to make that extra little step. Playing and winning at Old Trafford is one of the best places you can do it, especially as a local. I’ve been here for 10 years now and since I joined there’s only two people left so it shows how much the squad has changed.” 

Saqib Mahmood in the nets this week ahead of England's series with the West Indies.Saqib Mahmood in the nets this week ahead of England's series with the West Indies.
Saqib Mahmood in the nets this week ahead of England's series with the West Indies. | Getty Images

The white ball series against Australia was a tough challenge for England, and Mahmood believes there are plenty of positives to take.

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“There were a lot of new faces in the squad whilst facing the 50-over champions in Australia. I thought we did pretty well, we lost the 50 over series to Duckworth Lewis on that last game, I think we were five minutes away from getting a draw. In there we had some really good wins there at Lord’s and Durham. It was a good series against a side that had their strongest side apart from Pat Cummins.” 

Salt was frank in what the aims for the West Indies series are off the back of the 1-1 draw and 3-2 defeat to Australia. 

“The aim out there is to go and get two series wins. It will be difficult in those conditions compared to what we’ve just had in home conditions in September. We’ll not be looking back at the Australia series too much as they are the best white ball team in the world at the moment. Sometimes you just need to give a team the credit they deserve and move on.”

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The big non-playing news in recent weeks was that England Men’s test coach Brendon McCullum is to take over the white ball side of the national team. McCullum has turned England into a fast scoring, aggressive outfit and Salt is excited to get started with him. 

“McCullum was one of the original T20 batters. I spent a lot of time watching him when I was a kid and all I’ve heard from people on the franchise circuit and the boys currently in the Test team is what a good man and a good coach he is. When the time comes it will be good to form a relationship with him.”

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