Image Credit- AFP
World Cup matches happen so quickly that two days
before a match, the location is rarely buzzing with activity. Australia was
only in Dharamsala for two days prior to this match, and they hurried to the
Bhagsu Nag waterfall for a short swim. After being present for over a week, New
Zealand started their training.
It’s a familiar sight at practically all training
sessions in New Zealand. Following a back injury, Phillips, a wicketkeeper
batter, is unable to keep much wicket and is fixated on becoming into an
all-round player. It’s a bit of an odd decision in this day and age since field
limitations are hard on part-time bowlers and because cricket players have gone
professional. As the number of cricket matches rises, batters are taking better
care of their bodies and not bowling in the nets to lower their chance of injury.
Phillips has taken things too far. He even switched to
Otago from his own team so he could bowl more often. He was a heavy bowler for
Gloucestershire during his time over in England. His passion for bowling is so
great that when he becomes unhappy because he isn’t classified as an
all-rounder in TV graphics, he gets half serious.
And in a time when part-time bowlers have little
mercy, Phillips has performed admirably with the ball during this World Cup.
With an economy rate of 4.68 and an average of 17.16, he has six wickets.
However, at Dharamsala, he transformed from a respectable part-time bowler to a
rescuer, recording figures of 10-0-37-3 in the highest-scoring World Cup match
ever, with runs scored at a 7.71 an over across 100 overs.
When Phillips took the bowl, Australia was 144 for 0
in 13 overs. The opposite end gave up nine overs with no wickets for 59 runs,
while he completed his ten overs in a row, once more demonstrating the bowling
fitness he had developed via hours spent in the nets.
Phillips executed his technique of trying to turn the
ball forcefully while, above all, keeping it within the stumps. With offbreaks
that didn’t turn, he received the onslaught David Warner and Travis Head,
leaving little space for the left-hand batters.
Phillips strikes me as having a strong personality. He
most likely puts in the most training, sprinting after every ball. In this
particular match, he was the first to jump on the poor Dharamsala outfield and
kept doing so. However, he seems to be a pleasant person to be around and
understands the difference between commitment and obsession.
Phillips may be an even more enjoyable person to be
around if the broadcast graphics had updated his job description to an
all-arounder.