Glenn Phillips broke Colin Munro’s record of the fastest T20I century for New Zealand by smashing a 46-ball hundred against the West Indies. He helped his side take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series.

Here’s everything you need to know about the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman and his cricketing career so far.

The early days

Born in East London, South Africa on December 6, 1996, Phillips moved to New Zealand as a five-year-old and hasn’t looked back since. Rising through the ranks in the Auckland set up, he made his List A debut in 2015. Phillips was then selected in the New Zealand squad for the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, playing all six of their matches. He didn’t make a standout score in what was a disappointing tournament for the Kiwis, finishing with 180 runs at 30 as an opener. However his strike-rate stood out – 117.64 – and gave a sign of things to come.

Phillips’s first T20 appearance for Auckland came later that year when he slammed a 32-ball 55 in the 2016/17 Super Smash opener. He finished the tournament as its top run-getter – 369 runs at 46.12 and strike-rate of 143.02 – and within three months was in the New Zealand T20I XI to face South Africa as a 20-year-old, replacing an injured Martin Guptill. His exploits in the shortest format paved his way for selection in Auckland’s first-class side too.

Dodgy start to international career

Phillips played 10 more T20Is after his debut but was left out of the side on the back of inconsistent performances. He was named in the New Zealand ODI squad for India’s tour in October 2017 but didn’t get an opportunity to showcase his talent. He is yet to play his first one-day international.

Surprise Test call up

Even after finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the 2018/19 Plunket Shield season, a Test call up eluded him. But when Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls were ruled out of the third Test of the series against Australia earlier this year, he was hurriedly flown down to Sydney and he repaid the faith by scoring a half-century on debut.

Return to New Zealand’s T20I set up

Playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League earlier this year, Phillips once again finished in the upper echelons of the run-scoring charts of a tournament – behind only Lendl Simmons, which warranted the recall to the T20I side for West Indies’ tour. A 7-ball 22 with the hosts needing 176 in 16 overs to win the rain-affected first T20I was followed by a 51-ball 108 in the second. Don’t be surprised if he goes for big bucks in the 2021 Indian Premier League auctions.

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