300 breached! Phil Salt madness turns England into record-setters vs South Africa

Catch all the records England broke in their mammoth 146-run win over South Africa.

England’s white-ball team under Harry Brook produced a historic night at Old Trafford as the hosts became the first nation to breach the 300-run barrier in T20 internationals against a full member nation. A breathtaking assault by Phil Salt (141* off 60) and Jos Buttler (83 off 30) propelled England to 304/2 in 20 overs before they sealed a mammoth 146-run win against South Africa.

England demolish South Africa

The mood was set by Phil Salt, who simply refused to take his foot off the accelerator. His 141 not out off 55 balls wasn’t just a hundred, but it was a demolition job, the highest individual T20I score by an England batter. Every miscalculated slower ball disappeared into the Manchester stands. And if Salt was fire, Buttler was pure gasoline: 83 off just 30 balls. He could’ve gone on to score a double century had he got a chance to bat till the end.

From the very first over, England signalled intent. Salt went after Marco Jansen, while Buttler tore into Kagiso Rabada, racing to 50 in just 18 balls. Their 126-run opening stand at a run rate of 16.06 set the tone for a historic evening. England stormed past 300, a feat previously achieved only by Zimbabwe (344/4 vs Gambia, 2024) and Nepal (314/3 vs Mongolia, 2023) but never by two Test-playing nations.

South Africa’s chase briefly promised resistance with Aiden Markram’s brisk 41, but Jofra Archer (3/25) and Sam Curran (2/11) ripped through the middle order to dismiss them for 158.

Records broken by England due to Salt’s madness

• 304/2 – England’s total is the third 300+ score in T20Is and the first against a full-member side.
• 100/0 in PowerPlay – England became only the fourth full-member team to score 100+ in the first six overs.
• 166/1 at 10 overs – the highest-ever total at the halfway stage in a T20I innings.
• 12.1 overs for 200 – the fastest-ever by a Test-playing nation.
• 48 boundaries (30 fours, 18 sixes) – second-most in a T20I innings.
• Phil Salt’s 141* – highest individual score by an England batter in T20Is, fifth-highest by a full-member player.
• Four T20I centuries in 42 innings – Salt equals Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell but reached the mark quicker than anyone.
• 39-ball hundred – fastest T20I century for England.
• 126-run opening stand at 16.06 run rate – highest strike-rate for any 100+ opening partnership by a full-member side.
• 70 runs conceded by Kagiso Rabada – the most ever by a South African bowler in T20Is.
• 146-run win – England’s biggest T20I victory and South Africa’s heaviest defeat in the format.

Highest totals in T20Is against a full member team

England have dethroned India as the record holders for the highest T20 total against a full member team. India held the first and second spots until today, achieving both just months apart last year.

• 304/2 ENG vs SA Manchester 2025
• 297/6 IND vs Ban Hyderabad 2024
• 283/1 IND vs SA Joburg 2024
• 278/3 AFG vs Ire Dehradun 2019
• 267/3 ENG vs WI Tarouba 2023

Highest individual score for England (T20I)

Salt also broke his own record for the highest individual T20I score by an Englishman. Interestingly, three of the four highest scores belong to him.

• 141* Phil Salt vs SA Manchester 2025
• 119 Phil Salt vs WI Tarouba 2023
• 116* Alex Hales vs SL Chattogram 2014