New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips had his dancing shoes on as he endured a barrage of bouncers from England’s Jofra Archer on Day 1 of the second Test at Kennington Oval, London. Phillips had to walk out to bat early in the third session as Daryl Mitchell missed his fifty. Phillips batted aggressively until Archer decided to bowl bumpers towards the end of day's play. In the duel of aura, the Kiwi batter looked cool, sporting shades as Archer’s bouncers came for his head. There was immense swagger and no loss of entertainment as Phillips amused Archer with a thumbs-up after falling flat on his back, evading a bouncer.
“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 in the press conference.
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Mitchell also doffed his hat to Archer for banging the ball short, testing BlackCaps batters. He was also delighted to see Phillips going about his job in his own unique way. He even got hit by one of the bouncers on the helmet.
Mitchell also revealed that everyone in the dressing room was chuckling when Phillips gave them the thumbs up.
Phillips shared a 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell. Jacob Bethell ended his stay at the crease. Blundell scored 51 runs from 84 balls. Bethell also dismissed Nathan Smith. At the end of day's play, Phillips was batting on 49 off 74 balls, including nine fours.
Debutant Baker strikes twice
After England's interim captain Joe Root won the toss and opted to bowl first, New Zealand posted 291/7 from 77 overs. Debutant pacer Sonny Baker took two crucial wickets dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell. Ravindra was settled and lost his wicket for a 51-ball 33. Similarly, Mitchell was batting on 44 when he got out after facing 74 balls.
Will Phillips score maiden Test ton?
On Day 2, Phillips needs just one run to score his sixth Test fifty. He also has a chance to score his maiden Test century. His current best in the format is 87. But, in order to that, he will need support from Kyle Jamieson and the tailenders who follow. Jamieson was batting on six runs from 13 balls at the conclusion of Day 1.