“I thought there was a run. Daryl trusted my judgment. It was a pretty good throw. At the end of the day, a run out is not ideal in Test cricket. I take full responsibility for it and hope I make a different decision on another day.”
But Phillips is one of cricket’s great hustlers. A wicketkeeper who can bowl off-spin on dry tracks, who can bowl infield or outfield as well as anyone in the game, and oh, he’s also one of the most reliable boundary hitters in cricket. Not many cricketers do this much. You have to respect the hustle.
He took two wickets in the first innings with his off-spin, sometimes with a big turn. He has bowled 30 overs so far in this Test and by the looks of it, he has been enjoying it.
“I love bowling more than batting. I love being able to bowl 10 overs on the first day, then eight overs, and tonight I bowled six overs out of the blue. Hopefully I can take a few more poles (wickets) in the next few days.”
New Zealand have an off day right now, but they have another Test match in Galle, followed by games in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. With Will O’Rourke and Tim Saudi digging their heels in Galle, an even-spinner like Phillips could be particularly effective against left-handers.
“(O’Rourke) has a good footprint on both sides of the pitch, and when he hits it well, he gets some good turn and bounce.”
But Phillips’ biggest contribution so far in this Test has been his batting. He has scored 49 not out from 45 balls, 30 of which came on sixes.
“Batting with the tail is always a niche art. The fact that we were able to score 36 runs for the last wicket helps going into the bowling period. We wanted more but a 34-run lead is always worth it.
