Glenn Phillips was the star of the show for New Zealand in their World Cup opener against England, claiming the wickets of Moeen Ali and Joe Root in his two overs. Phillips was introduced into the attack in the first over and immediately made his mark, bowling Ali with a peach of a delivery. The part-time spinner then returned for a second over in the 13th over and struck again, this time removing the dangerous Root.
Root was the only English batter who looked settled in the early stages of the innings, but Phillips was able to dislodge him with a yorker that the batter tried to reverse sweep. Phillips’ wickets were crucial in helping New Zealand to restrict England to 273 all out, a total that they were able to chase down with relative ease.
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Tom Latham, the New Zealand captain, praised Phillips for his performance, saying that he had “bowled beautifully”.
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Irfan Pathan, the former Indian cricketer, also praised Phillips’ bowling, saying that he had “made a big difference in the game”. “Glenn Phillips bowled beautifully today,” Pathan said. “He picked up two important wickets and helped New Zealand to win the game.”
Tom Latham’s captaincy has been top notch in this match. He caught the match pulse on every occasion. Brilliant bowling changes with the resources he has. #NZvENG
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 5, 2023
Irfan Pathan also praised Tom Latham’s captaincy in the match, saying that he had made “brilliant bowling changes”. “Tom Latham’s captaincy has been top-notch in this match,” Pathan said. “He caught the match pulse on every occasion. Brilliant bowling changes with the resources he has.”
Latham introduced Phillips into the attack in the first over and was rewarded with a wicket. He also brought back Trent Boult and Tim Southee for second spells in the middle overs, which helped to slow down the English scoring rate.
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Latham’s decision to use Phillips as a part-time spinner also proved to be a masterstroke, as he was able to pick up the wickets of two of England’s most dangerous batsmen. Overall, it was a very impressive start for New Zealand and their captain. They will be looking to build on this momentum when they take on Australia in their next match.
