With much focus on Rachin Ravindra’s continuing omission, another dynamic batter is using this tour to solidify his own spot in the test team.
Glenn Phillips cracked a new high score on the thirdday of the second test against Bangladesh, lifting the Black Caps to an unlikely first-innings lead and improving their prospects of saving the series.
After 15 wickets fell on the opening day and rain washed out the next four sessions, the stuttering tourists resumed today on 55-5 in Dhaka, in danger of suffering a historic test series loss to Bangladesh.
But having been repeatedly forced on the defensive by the hosts’ spinners, Phillips opted for attack.
His 72-ball blitz of 87 helped New Zealand eke ahead by eight runs before they were dismissed for 172. Ajaz Patel and Tim Southee then reduced Bangladesh to 38-2 when bad light curtailed play, an intriguing weekend set up by Phillips’ barrage.
Made to wait almost four years for another test cap following his debut, the short-form specialist has shown during this tour that his skillset now transfers well to the red-ball game.
Phillips has toiled diligently in the nets to refine his offbreak since his bow against Australia in January 2020, transforming himself into a wicket-taking option on turning tracks. But while that burgeoning quality did bring about his recall, it’s clean hitting that could have him become a fixture in the side.
His prodigious talent with the bat, long clear in particularly Twenty20 cricket, lit up another overcast day in the Bangladeshi capital, brightening a murky situation for the Black Caps.
