‘Ridiculous hitting’: Glenn Phillips rescues New Zealand in T20 World Cup masterclass

New Zealand was seemingly in dire straits before Glenn Phillips put together a masterclass batting performance at the SCG.

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips has rescued the Black Caps after an early collapse against Sri Lanka threatened to derail their T20 World Cup campaign on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old became just the second New Zealander to score a Men’s T20 World Cup century, smacking 104 (64) to steer the Kiwis towards a respectable total of 7/167 at the SCG.

After their previous match against Afghanistan was abandoned due to weather, the Black Caps needed three consecutive Super 12 wins to secure their spot in the semi-finals.

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But the New Zealanders were in trouble early after losing three wickets in the Powerplay, with openers Devon Conway and Finn Allen both dismissed by Sri Lankan spinners for 1.

New Zealand was suddenly reeling at 3/15 when captain Kane Williamson edged behind for 8, feathering a Kasun Rajitha delivery through to the wicketkeeper.

Daryl Mitchell, who missed last week’s match against Australia due to injury, combined with Phillips for a crucial 84-run partnership for the fourth wicket to resurrect the New Zealand innings, patiently batting out the middle overs.

Glenn Phillips of New Zealand. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Phillips was gifted an extra life on 12, with Pathum Nissanka dropping a regulation chance at long-off in the seventh over. And it proved costly, with the fortuitous Kiwi bringing up his second T20I century less than an hour later.

He brought up the milestone with a powerful pull shot, leaping in the air before saluting the 15,121 spectators and roaring with delight.

The right-hander needed 61 deliveries to reach triple figures, becoming the first player batting at No. 4 or lower to score a Men’s T20 World Cup century.

New Zealand scored 91 runs from the final seven overs, 63 of which came off Phillips’ bat.

He effectively rotated his grip slightly when on the attack, angling the bat face towards the sky to increase his chances of launching the ball into the crowd, which he did four times.

“That was a pretty special knock and I take my hat off to how he played, that was unbelievable,” Mitchell said.

“He’s got a lot of talent, but to do it on a surface like that, which was challenging at times, I haven’t seen many better T20 knocks under that sort of pressure.”

Glenn Phillips to the rescue 🛟🔥 #NZvSL#T20WorldCup

— Isa Guha (@isaguha) October 29, 2022

That is terrific from Glenn Phillips. 103 out of 152 runs. He has grown into an amazing batter. Can’t wait to see what he does in the fields tonight.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) October 29, 2022

Glenn Phillips has gone from 30 off 27 balls to 102 off 61 balls.

Ridiculous hitting. #T20WorldCup#NZvSL

— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) October 29, 2022

Phillips was eventually dismissed by Sri Lankan seamer Lahiru Kumara in the final over, chipping a catch to the long-off boundary rider. None of his teammates scored more than 22.

He had already cemented his place in the T20 World Cup highlights reel with a spectacular outfield catch against Australia last weekend.

The Sri Lankan run chase started horrifically, with veteran seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee taking four wickets in the Powerplay to leave the reigning Asia Cup champions in dire straits at 4/8.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa stemmed the flow of wickets with an entertaining 34 (22) and skipper Dasun Shanak scored a patient 35 (32) before New Zealand’s spinners set about cleaning up the tail in the middle overs.

Sri Lanka was eventually rolled for 102, falling 65 runs short of the target. Boult finished with career-best figures of 4/13 from four overs, while tweakers Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi claimed two scalps.

New Zealand will next face England in a must-win clash at the Gabba on Tuesday evening, with the first ball scheduled for 7pm AEDT.

“I think momentum in tournaments like this is absolutely crucial,” Phillips told reporters in the post-match press conference.

“We’re treating every game with that respect and trying to do the best we can with any given situation - with any pitch we’re shown or whether the weather plays a part as well.”