T20 Blast: Michael Pepper's presence of mind at boundary line dismisses Phillip Salt

Lancashire went on to defeat Essex in their quarter-final encounter of the 2022 T20 Blast. Batter Steven Croft was simply excellent against the Essex team as he went on to score 76 runs off just 48 balls including five fours and four maximums as his side went on to win the match by seven wickets.

Despite Lancashire winning the game, it was Essex’s batter Michael Pepper who grabbed all the news after an excellent effort by him on the field to dismiss Lancs opening batter Philip Salt. To note, it was Salt who had stumped out pepper during the first innings of the match.

Pacer Ben Allison completed Salt’s catch

Talking about the dismissal, the wicketkeeper-batter Salt swept leg-spinner, Matt Critchley near the mid-wicket boundary, and Pepper who was stationed near the ropes timed his jump excellently and clinched a brilliant catch. The latter lost his balance but somehow managed to throw the ball in time to Ben Allison who completed an easy catch. Several people debated if Pepper’s foot had touched the boundary rope, but the umpire gave the decision in the fielding side’s favour and Salt went back after scoring 27 off 21 balls.

WOW 😱

What an effort from Michael Pepper 👏@EssexCricket | #Blast22 pic.twitter.com/48Vztxycj5

— Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) July 8, 2022

Talking about the match, Essex won the toss and opted to bat first. Every Essex batter got a decent start to their innings but none of them managed to play a big knock. Pepper also was the highest scorer for his team after stroking 36 runs off 28 balls. For Lancashire, pacer Luke Wood was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped two wickets for his side and gave away just 28 runs in his four-over quota.

In reply, Lancashire lost opener Keaton Jennings in the first over of the chase. However, Salt and Croft played excellent knocks and bailed out their team from a tricky situation. Skipper Dane Vilas also stroked an excellent fifty as the chasing team went on to win the match by seven wickets and qualify for the semi-finals.