Kiwi’s all-time ‘superman’ catch stuns cricket world

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips has stunned the cricket world with one of the best catches you’ll ever see in a Test match against England.

New Zealand had a day to forget in the field in first Test against England, but one of the all-time great catches from Glenn Phillips salvaged the day for the Kiwis.

A fearless Harry Brook slammed an unbeaten century to give England the upper hand against an error-strewn New Zealand on day two in Christchurch on Friday.

At stumps Brook was 132 not out with the visitors recovering from 71-4 to be 319-5, trailing the hosts by 29 runs and with five wickets in hand.

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Captain Ben Stokes was unbeaten on 37 after being dropped by Tom Latham on 30 — New Zealand’s sixth dropped catch and the third by their skipper.

After England’s woeful start the 25-year-old Brook, in partnership with Ollie Pope, went on the attack.

Aided by luck from poor fielding and several edges sailing just wide or over slips, the pair belted 151 off 171 deliveries for the fifth wicket.

“From where we were to where we are now, the boys are very happy,” Pope said.

England's Harry Brook celebrates his century in the first Test against New Zealand. Photo: Sanka Vidanagama / AFP)

Brook was dropped four times — on 18, 41, 70 and 106 — with the last detected by television replays after a spill by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.

England’s batting onslaught came as the cloud cover which aided the New Zealand seamers in the first session gave way to blue skies.

New Zealand, 319-8 overnight, were all out for 348 and then reduced England to 45-3 by lunch.

When Ben Duckett went for 46 after lunch England were on the ropes at 71-4, but it would be 30 overs before New Zealand claimed their next wicket.

Pope was on 77 with eight fours to his credit when he slashed at a wide delivery from Tim Southee and a diving Glenn Phillips grabbed a stunning one-handed catch.

Phillips threw his arms in the air in celebration, in stark contrast to when he put his head in his hands earlier after Devon Conway dropped Brook off his bowling.

Watch Glenn Phillips’ catch in the video player above

Glenn Phillips takes an absolute screamer of a catch. Photo: X.

The catch left jaws on the floor around the cricket world.

ESPNcricinfo posted on X: “GLENN PHILLIPS THAT IS UNREAL.”

The official NZ Black Caps account said: “Glenn Phillips adds another unbelievable catch to his career resume!”

England’s Barmy Army page said: “Glenn Phillips what have you done.”

West Indies legend Ian Bishop posted: “There are some cricketers you wish you could extract their “Playing DNA” and transplant it to some others. Glenn Phillips energy and fighting spirit is one.”

Cricket writer Will Macpherson said: “Glenn Phillips is just an outrageous cricketer.”

One fan described the catch as “herculean” and another called Phillips the “superman of cricket”.

Remarkably, the catch was virtually identical to the spectacular grab he took to dismiss Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne earlier this year, while also fielding in the gully.

Phillips, 27, showed off his athleticism while batting when he dived horizontally to just get back in his crease and avoid getting run-out.

Glenn Phillips is one hell of an athlete. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Phillips dives to survive a run-out attempt. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

In the early cloudy conditions the New Zealand seamers were in their element with plenty of movement.

A Matt Henry delivery that nipped in trapped Zak Crawley lbw without scoring. Smith followed with an angled delivery to Jacob Bethell which was edged to Blundell and England’s debutant was gone for 10.

Four balls later, of which two were no-balls, a similar angled delivery cramped Joe Root — in his 150th Test — for room and it deflected off his pads and on to the stumps for a duck.

Duckett refused to be subdued and chanced his arm at anything loose. He was dropped by Latham on 23 and survived two inside-edges before he pulled a rising Will O’Rourke delivery to Conway waiting on the boundary.

In the following over Brook was dropped for the first time and momentum began to shift in England’s favour.

The partnership with Pope galloped along at five an over and Brook brought up is seventh Test century steering a Tim Southee delivery past backward point to the boundary.

New Zealand had added a further 29 runs to their overnight score, the bulk of them by Phillips.

He ended unbeaten on 58, his fifth half-century and the second-highest New Zealand score behind Kane Williamson’s 93.

Brydon Carse finished with 4-64, the best figures for England, after taking both wickets to fall on the second morning.

With his first ball of the day he had Southee caught on the boundary for 15, then ended the hosts’ innings by bowling O’Rourke for a duck.