What is with South African born talent doing wonders for other countries but their own?
Ask the likes of Devon Conway, Grant Elliott and one of the most famous ones in Kevin Pietersen and they would undoubtedly have oodles to explain.
Yes, Conway the Johannesburg-born left-hand batter has been doing awe-inspiringly well for the BlackCaps as their opener, often cementing strong partnerships with fellow compatriots in Will Young or Rachin Ravindra.
Grant Elliott on the other hand was most famously remembered for a South African taking the Proteas to the cleaners in the 2015 ODI World Cup semifinal when he hoisted Dale Steyn over long on for a massive maximum to seal his adopted nation’s pathway to the final.
And speaking about the great Kevin Pietersen who left Natal owing to frustrations of the ill-fated quota system to follow his pursuits in England was perhaps the biggest loss for South Africa as this lanky right hander mounted runs aplenty for the Poms often against the nation of his birth.
Well, another cricketer in a similar mould, who has become one more unfortunate loss for South Africa to another country is the dynamic dasher and moreover the new Jonty Rhodes of world cricket when it comes to fielding, Glenn Phillips.
Perhaps the only saving grace, that he moved out of the nation of his birth at the early age of five.
With this being said, one nation’s loss is another nation’s gain and New Zealand unquestionably have been smiling aplenty since Phillips ascended to their senior team, more than half a decade back making a mark across all three formats as a multi-dimensional player.
This well-built muscular player has established himself as a vital cog in the Kiwi middle order across formats mounting runs aplenty in excess of 3700 with three centuries to his name.
His fearless stroke play has often torn opposition teams apart with Pakistan being the most recent as he counter-attacked their mighty bowling, scoring a mouthwatering 106 of just 74 deliveries that saw his team ascend to an ODI championship also involving South Africa.
This perhaps also made them the undisputed kings of the subcontinent, having conquered India as well, 3-0 in a recent Test series.
Glenn Phillips’s stroke play matched with some wily off spin and the enigmatic display of savings runs on the field has undoubtedly been one of the biggest reasons for the meteoric rise of the Kiwis.
This tiny though resilient nation, perhaps numbering even less than most Indian states in terms of population has been unwaveringly punching above their weight with impressive performances to consistently soar to the final four of global tournaments in the last half a decade.
The most recent cherry being contesting the Champions Trophy final against India.
A feat worthy of every praise one would reckon, with Phillips being a pivotal pillar!
Speaking about pivotal displays, who can forget the high-octane one-handed catch that this daredevil individual took at cover to dismiss India’s latest heart throb albeit in runs, Shubman Gill in the final of the recent Champions Trophy.
This after he had already leaped twice at point to catch Mohammed Rizwan and Virat Kohli with one handed grabs in the group games.
And if such energetic displays weren’t enough, Phillips has also showed one and all that when aggression had to become the need of the hour, he was right up there with the best, having been New Zealand’s highest run scorer in the 2022 T20 World Cup with 201 to his name.
This earning his team a semifinal spot albeit to come short by the narrowest of margins against a resilient Pakistan enroute to the final.
With his electrifying performances with both bat and ball, along with his sharp fielding, Glenn Phillips has truly become a cornerstone of New Zealand’s cricketing engine. He’s a player who could continue driving this team forward for years to come.
Imagine, though, if he had stayed in South Africa—what could the Proteas have achieved with his talent?
Perhaps that’s now water under the bridge as is the case with so many other outstanding talents in the eras gone by.
