New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips has long been known as one of the most versatile cricketers in the modern game. A powerful middle-order batter, handy off-spin option, reliable wicketkeeper and arguably one of the finest boundary riders in world cricket, Phillips now appears to have added yet another intriguing dimension to his skill set — batting left-handed.
The right-hander recently grabbed headlines during a Super Smash match when he unexpectedly switched to a left-handed stance against a right-arm off-spinner. The move instantly caught the opposition by surprise. Instead of attempting a conventional slog, Phillips calmly punched the ball through extra cover, exploiting a vacant region in the field and underlining the tactical value of the switch.
What initially seemed like a moment of improvisation was, in fact, a carefully planned strategy. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Phillips revealed that he has been working on his left-handed batting for over two years, primarily as a way to counter unfavourable match-ups in T20 cricket — particularly against left-arm spin.
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“I do enjoy my left-handed batting training,” Glenn Phillips said. “I do it for multiple reasons. One is to keep both sides of the brain active, and the other is to give myself an option against left-arm spin.”
As a right-hander, Phillips often faces the challenge of the ball spinning away from him when left-arm spinners operate. By switching stances, he believes he can open up new scoring areas and disrupt a bowler’s rhythm — a valuable asset in the shortest format.
The Super Smash outing was not a spur-of-the-moment experiment. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, Phillips felt the timing was right to test the technique in a match scenario.
What a shot that was for 6 runs , Take a bow of Left handed Glenn Phillips 🙇 pic.twitter.com/y1jJ6OOOLG
— 𝐑 𝐈 𝐓 𝐈 𝐊 (@Dhoni_Tweetz) December 30, 2025
“It’s more of a future thing,” he explained. “If there’s going to be a lot of left-arm spin in a game, it makes sense to bring it back into my training and see how it goes. The opportunity presenting itself during a match was ideal.”
However, Phillips was quick to clarify that he will only deploy the left-handed approach when the situation demands it and when he fully trusts his preparation.
“I’ve usually used it when there’s nothing to lose — a couple of overs left and it’s time to have some fun,” he said.
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New Zealand’s upcoming white-ball tour of India, featuring five T20Is ahead of the World Cup, could provide the perfect testing ground. With India’s spin arsenal likely to include Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, Phillips’ ambidextrous threat could emerge as a genuine X-factor.
If executed consistently, this innovative twist may well add another layer to New Zealand’s T20 World Cup ambitions.
