“I thought there was a run. Daryll trusted my call. It was a pretty good throw. At the end of the day, run-outs in Test cricket are not exactly ideal. I take full accountability for it, and hopefully on another day I make a different decision.”
But then Phillips is one of cricket’s great hustlers – a wicketkeeper who can bowl ripping offspin on dry tracks, who is as box-office an infielder or outfielder as any in the game, and oh, also, one of cricket’s most reliable boundary-hitters. Not many cricketers do as much on so many fronts. You gotta respect the hustle.
He took two wickets in the first innings with his offspin, which at times took huge turn. He’s bowled 30 overs in this Test so far, and from the sounds, has loved it.
“I love my bowling much more than my batting. Being able to bowl spells of 10 over and then eight overs on the first day, and then a cheeky six tonight – I love it. Hopefully there’s a few more poles (wickets) under the belt in the coming days.”
New Zealand have a rest day immediately on their horizon, but have another Test in Galle next up, plus matches in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai to come. With Will O’Rourke and Tim Southee digging up some footmarks in Galle, perhaps there is potential for even spinners such as Phillips to be effective, against left-handers especially.
“[O’Rourke] has made some good footmarks on both sides of the pitch, if you manage to hit them there’s some good turn and bounce.”
Phillips biggest contribution so far in this Test has been through his batting, however. He made 49 not out off 45 balls. Thirty of those runs came off sixes.
“Batting with the tail is always a niche art. The fact that we managed to put 36 on for the final wicket is a boost going into the bowling period. We would have liked more, but a 34-run lead is always valuable.