Glenn Phillips' switch
Is there anyone who tries harder, wants it more, or lives every moment of cricket like Phillips?
Glenn Phillips is bowling. He is the only Kiwi player preparing during lunch. The bowlers, proper full timers, have finished their warmups. The fielders are hovering around, making it look like they have already taken catches.
But Phillips is bowling his offspin. His black cap is on the surface behind him, and he’s trying to rag the ball. He finishes his spell just as the bell for the end of lunch is run. He picks up the rubber warm up stumps and starts to take them off the field. Before a coach sees him, and realises that is absolutely not the job of a man who has just made a hundred. Then he jogs into a slight gallop as his team is about to huddle on the other side of the ground.
All of this is about an hour after making his first Test hundred. He isn’t really required to do bowling preparation now, but he needs and wants to. At all times, he needs to be doing something. Today, that was preparing to bowl after smashing a hundred.
Glenn Philips has a switch, and it’s always on.
***
Phillips’ Test career is one of cameos. He’s not bad, he’s just not around that long. When he comes in to bat at the Oval, it is after a day of his teammates having played those kinds of innings. Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra hit the ball as well as he did, but they both got out when set.
New Zealand are struggling, and a little punchy 40 will get his team back on track. And that is perfect, because it’s what he is made for.
In 32 innings, he’s only made nine single figure scores, which is decent for someone who averaged 34 coming into this match. 14 times he has passed 25, but he only has one score in the 80s.
He is bustling, threatening and promising, but not everlasting.
It looks like one of those high-energy, short-form knocks is coming. His second delivery, he blocks the ball, but off the middle of the bat to the rope. That is a strength and weakness for him. His hands grip the bat really tight, meaning that even when he blocks the ball, it flies. The issue with that is his edges almost always carry. But this one is from the dead middle, and it flies to the boundary.
A moment later, he picks up a three with the same shot. So he’s seven from four, and all he has done is block.
His first attacking shot comes from a short ball by debutant Sonny Baker, and he launches at it. Back of a length cross bat shots have not been ideal on this surface. But for him, it’s a magnificent option.
Baker overpitches the next ball with a big hooping inswinger, and he drills a cover drive to the rope. After smashing one past Josh Tongue’s face later, he’s 19 off 12. Reminder, New Zealand were in a tricky position when he came in. And he’s just blasting them back. I mean, he’s just being Glenn Phillips.
When he leaves a ball that is short and wide, he is actually starts laughing. To himself. There are some people who perform for others, but for Phillips, every reaction and overreaction seems to be completely for his own amusement.
Jofra Archer returns in the harsh afternoon light and bounces Phillips with a Wagner field spread for the short ball. And he mistimes the first one for two, meaning he’s now 35 from 24 balls. To be honest, it was all easy until this point.
But what happens next is different gravy, to quote the English cricketers.
***
Phillips sometimes has a faintly ridiculous air to him. When he faces, he bends over in an exaggerated manner, before snapping back up like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. At this point he pops his butt out. But you’re already looking at his backlift; it’s high and mighty, but never still. His hands are so eager for the ball, he’s played four shots before the delivery is bowled.
It’s an active stance, switched on in neon lights.
