Glenn Phillips’ Call of Duty

JAMES COYNE: Glenn Phillips whacks the ball, and is so versatile that he could be bowling off-spin or keeping wicket for Gloucestershire this summer and in the T20 World Cup this winter

England will certainly feel they’ve had their fill of South African émigrés to New Zealand cricket – from Grant Elliott up to Devon Conway, plenty of them have had their moments against them.

And if Glenn Phillips comes up against England in the T20 World Cup later this year, they’re bound to be doing their research on the author of New Zealand’s fastest T20I century (from 46 balls against West Indies).

But it’s not entirely clear whether Phillips will be bowling or keeping wicket in the field. He seems to be one of those annoying cricketers who can turn their hand to just about anything.

He admits keeping wicket is something he does merely to serve team needs, rather than his calling as a cricketer.

“I was always an off-spinner,” he told The Cricketer. “I started keeping because I got sick of people dropping the ball!

“But as good as I was at it [keeping], I really never enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to get out of it for years. In cricket there’s a bit of a stereotype that once you’re a keeper you’re always a keeper, but I’ve had to just take the gloves because that’s what the team has needed most of the time. But bowling is where my passion lies.”

The versatile 24-year-old whacks the ball, bowls off-spin in first-class cricket, but often takes the wicketkeeping gloves against the white ball – and it seems he’ll be doing plenty of all three in his overseas placement at Gloucestershire, which began against Leicestershire in the County Championship yesterday.

^{Glenn Phillips made his first international century against West Indies}

Phillips is listed as a ‘wicketkeeper-batter’ on ESPNcricinfo, but had 22 first-class wickets before heading to Gloucestershire and was thrown the ball ahead of the frontline spinner Tom Smith at Leicester.

He said the absence of James Bracey on Test duty – against Phillips’ international teammates, no less – means he likely to be behind the stumps in Gloucestershire’s first few Vitality Blast matches.

“For the first set I think I’ll be keeping because we’ve got Bracey out at the moment with England. As soon as he comes back I’ll be filling in as second spinner with Smudge [Tom Smith].”

His passion for off-spin is clear from his trademark ‘sniper’ celebration when he takes a wicket – inspired by the video game Call of Duty so popular with contemporary cricketers.

Phillips bowled with decent loop on the first day against Leicestershire, and handy early turn was in evidence as he claimed dismissals caught at short leg (Sam Evans) and bowled through the gate (Colin Ackermann).

With three T20 Blast titles, Ben Duckett is part of an exclusive club

“I haven’t kept in a four-day match, ever. I only ever bowl at home in them too, so this is right up my alley, really.

“It was nice to get overs under my belt as I am second or third spinner after Will Somerville at home [for Auckland]. It’s nice to be the No.1 off-spinner in the side here.

“I was a little bit disappointed with a few my sets in the middle [of the first innings at Leicester]. Sometimes the ball just comes out a bit wrong. But how I bowled at the start and at the end is what I plan to replicate as I go through the summer.

“After lunch our bowlers struggled a bit to find our rhythm, including me, but I think we pulled it back at the end of the day really well and got a few more rewards, so credit to the boys for sticking at it.

“And with the ball turning a little bit in the full areas hopefully I can get in a few more overs and a few more wickets.

“Marcus Harris batted brilliantly [for Leicestershire, with 148], stuck to his gameplan really well and played good shots, strong shots. At the end of the day, if you play that well on any pitch you’re going to get success.”

^{Phillips made a century against England in a pre-Test warmup in 2019}

There is a growing list of southern Africans who have emigrated to New Zealand, partly for cricketing reasons, and have found a niche in their system: there are four (Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner, B-J Watling) in the Blackcaps current Test party alone.

Phillips was younger than most when his family made the move – he was born in East London, South Africa, into a cricketing family, who settled in Auckland at the age of five.

Phillips broke into the New Zealand T20I side in 2017, had an early spell behind the stumps, but has bowled in his last four matches in the format and declared himself “pretty dumbfounded” to have just earned a central contract.

Though he isn’t in New Zealand’s Test party against England and India, he has a growing first-class portfolio: England will remember him from the 116 he struck against them at Whangarei in a warm-up ahead of the two-Test series in 2019/20; and was called off the beach to make an emergency Test debut as a specialist batsman, initially without a number on the back of his shirt, when New Zealand had an illness outbreak ahead of the final Test on their last tour of Australia, making 52 in the first innings.