Glenn Phillips, on Friday (November 29), added yet another catch to his ever-growing list of extraordinary catches as he pulled off a sensational grab in the ongoing first Test between New Zealand and England at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
New Zealand were in desperate need of a wicket when Phillips took the catch to send back Ollie Pope. England were reeling at 71 for 4 when Pope and Harry Brook joined hands in the middle and bailed their team out of the trouble.
England fight back after New Zealand’s initial blows
Both the batters were well set as they took England’s score past the 200-run mark. New Zealand needed something special to break the partnership and that moment of brilliance was provided by Glenn Phillips. In the 53rd over, he took the stunning catch to break the big partnership between Pope and Brook.
On the second ball of the over, Tim Southee bowled one outside the off stump and Pope went for a cut shot. Pope rocked back and cut the ball hard, hitting it towards backward point. The ball was destined to reach the boundary but Glenn Phillips had other ideas.
The Kiwi star made a full-length dive to his right and caught the ball with his extended right arm while being airborne.
Watch the catch from Glenn Phillips:
Glenn Phillips adds another unbelievable catch to his career resume! The 151-run Brook-Pope (77) partnership is broken. Watch LIVE in NZ on TVNZ DUKE and TVNZ+ #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/6qmSCdpa8u
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 29, 2024
Talking about the game, England were on 319/5 at stumps on day two. Replying to New Zealand’s first innings total of 348, England were off to a disastrous start. Opener Zak Crawley was dismissed by Matt Henry for a duck before Jacob Bethell failed with the bat as well.
Harry Brook and Ollie Pope lead England’s counter-attack
The ever-reliable Joe Root could not impress either and was out for a duck. When Ben Duckett departed, England found themselves reeling at 71 for 4 before Pope and Brook rescued the visitors. Pope departed after scoring 77 runs. At stumps, Brook was unbeaten on 132 while captain Ben Stokes was on 37.
Earlier in the game, New Zealand were all out for 348 runs in the first innings. Kane Williamson top-scored for the hosts, scoring 93 runs before being dismissed by Gus Atkinson. Glenn Phillips impressed with the bat as well and scored an unbeaten 58. For England, Shoaib Bashir and Brydon Carse picked up four wickets each.