Watch: Stylish Glenn Phillips dons sunglasses to survive Archer barrage at The Oval
Glenn Phillips produced one of the most memorable moments of the opening day of the second Test at The Oval when he called for a pair of sunglasses to deal with the glare from the sightscreen before facing a fierce spell from Jofra Archer.
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips produced one of the most eye-catching moments of the opening day of the second Test at The Oval, donning a pair of sunglasses to face a fierce spell from Jofra Archer. Phillips finished unbeaten on 49 as New Zealand reached 291 for 7 at stumps after England stand-in captain Joe Root opted to bowl first on a green-tinged surface.
The New Zealand batter called for sunglasses in the 67th over after struggling with sunlight reflecting off the sightscreen during the final session. The change immediately caught the attention of those at the ground, but Phillips soon had a bigger challenge to deal with.
Archer, brought back for a fourth spell after Phillips had taken advantage of some loose bowling from debutant Sonny Baker, went after him with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries. The first ball Phillips faced wearing the sunglasses climbed sharply and struck him on the shoulder.
The contest intensified as Archer continued to pepper him with bouncers. One delivery flew past Phillips' head and left him sprawled on the pitch. Moments later, he looked towards the New Zealand dressing room and responded with a thumbs-up, a gesture that drew laughter from his teammates.
'COOL TO SEE GP DO WHAT GP DOES'
Daryl Mitchell said the innings reflected Phillips' personality as much as his batting ability.
"He thrives in moments like tonight: he's the entertainer, he's got the shades on, he's looking cool. He loves that stuff," Mitchell said after play.
"That was a seriously tough spell to get through, the way Jof obviously was charging in there and banging that wicket. It was cool to see GP do what GP does."
Mitchell said the dressing room could not help but smile at Phillips' reaction after being knocked over by Archer's pace.
"When he's lying on the ground and giving us the thumbs up, we're chuckling away. He's one of my good mates. We've played a lot of cricket with him now, and it's just cool to see him do what he does and be himself on the international stage."
Phillips arrived in England after a difficult IPL stint with Gujarat Titans, where he spent much of the season on the sidelines after losing his place to Jason Holder. Since then, however, he has been New Zealand's most dependable batter in the series.
In the first Test at Lord's, he made 34 and 44 not out while New Zealand were bowled out for 113 and 138. His unbeaten knock at The Oval once again gave the visitors valuable runs at a crucial stage of the innings.
"He's an absolute beauty," Mitchell said.
"He's an energiser bunny and he's really clear on his process and how he wants to go about things. For me, it's really cool to see him be really present. If you ever hear him talk, he talks about his process and how he wants to do that ball-by-ball."
Mitchell also stressed the importance of Phillips remaining unbeaten at the close.
"What it has done is allow us to start again tomorrow. Hopefully, putting time into their bowlers' legs will be really important in the nature of this Test match over the five days, which it looks like it potentially could go.
"Every partnership is going to be really important, and it'd be nice to hopefully get a few more in the morning and then we'll have a go."
The day began with Root stepping back into the captaincy role and choosing to field first. It ended with Phillips walking off unbeaten after negotiating both the glare and one of England's quickest bowlers, leaving New Zealand well placed heading into the second day.
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips produced one of the most eye-catching moments of the opening day of the second Test at The Oval, donning a pair of sunglasses to face a fierce spell from Jofra Archer. Phillips finished unbeaten on 49 as New Zealand reached 291 for 7 at stumps after England stand-in captain Joe Root opted to bowl first on a green-tinged surface.
The New Zealand batter called for sunglasses in the 67th over after struggling with sunlight reflecting off the sightscreen during the final session. The change immediately caught the attention of those at the ground, but Phillips soon had a bigger challenge to deal with.
Archer, brought back for a fourth spell after Phillips had taken advantage of some loose bowling from debutant Sonny Baker, went after him with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries. The first ball Phillips faced wearing the sunglasses climbed sharply and struck him on the shoulder.
The contest intensified as Archer continued to pepper him with bouncers. One delivery flew past Phillips' head and left him sprawled on the pitch. Moments later, he looked towards the New Zealand dressing room and responded with a thumbs-up, a gesture that drew laughter from his teammates.
'COOL TO SEE GP DO WHAT GP DOES'
Daryl Mitchell said the innings reflected Phillips' personality as much as his batting ability.
"He thrives in moments like tonight: he's the entertainer, he's got the shades on, he's looking cool. He loves that stuff," Mitchell said after play.
"That was a seriously tough spell to get through, the way Jof obviously was charging in there and banging that wicket. It was cool to see GP do what GP does."
Mitchell said the dressing room could not help but smile at Phillips' reaction after being knocked over by Archer's pace.
"When he's lying on the ground and giving us the thumbs up, we're chuckling away. He's one of my good mates. We've played a lot of cricket with him now, and it's just cool to see him do what he does and be himself on the international stage."
Phillips arrived in England after a difficult IPL stint with Gujarat Titans, where he spent much of the season on the sidelines after losing his place to Jason Holder. Since then, however, he has been New Zealand's most dependable batter in the series.
In the first Test at Lord's, he made 34 and 44 not out while New Zealand were bowled out for 113 and 138. His unbeaten knock at The Oval once again gave the visitors valuable runs at a crucial stage of the innings.
"He's an absolute beauty," Mitchell said.
"He's an energiser bunny and he's really clear on his process and how he wants to go about things. For me, it's really cool to see him be really present. If you ever hear him talk, he talks about his process and how he wants to do that ball-by-ball."
Mitchell also stressed the importance of Phillips remaining unbeaten at the close.
"What it has done is allow us to start again tomorrow. Hopefully, putting time into their bowlers' legs will be really important in the nature of this Test match over the five days, which it looks like it potentially could go.
"Every partnership is going to be really important, and it'd be nice to hopefully get a few more in the morning and then we'll have a go."
The day began with Root stepping back into the captaincy role and choosing to field first. It ended with Phillips walking off unbeaten after negotiating both the glare and one of England's quickest bowlers, leaving New Zealand well placed heading into the second day.
