Black Caps left to do it all
At least New Zealand have given us some entertainment.
If Kiwi cricket fans had been relying on the West Indies to thrill us this summer, we may have snoozed through Christmas and failed to see in the New Year.
As the West Indies seek their first win on tour in Mt Maunganui today – following seven losses from as many outings – we’ve been forced to rely on the hosts to provide the fireworks.
Now, in the format that most seeks pyrotechnics to garner the oohs and aahs, the Black Caps should again hold the attention in the second match of the threegame Twenty20 series.
Most of the excited chatter after the opening Twenty20 in Nelson, won by the hosts by 47 runs, centred around rookie batsman/ wicketkeeper Glenn Phillips – and rightly so.
The 21-year-old’s starring role of 55 off 40 balls, three catches and a stumping, served to further illustrate his prodigious talent and glittering international potential. Keen cricket followers knew this already, now the casual fans are getting to see what he’s already delivering.
Dare the name Brendon McCullum now be mentioned?
It’s not a lazy comparison – Phillips was a star for the New Zealand under-19 team with some blistering innings (he made 105 off 84 balls, featuring 13 fours and six sixes against Australia).
The right-hander loves to hit the new ball to and over the boundary and is a competent performer with the big gloves as well.
So big expectations are natural, even though Phillips has played just four T20 internationals, whereas the former national skipper earned his stripes on the back of 101 tests, 260 ODIs and 71 T20s.
Remarkably, Phillips can in no way take his elevation for granted – even in the shortest of formats.
We also know what Tom Latham can do in white-ball matches, while Tom Blundell acquitted himself with note in his first test series.
Should BJ Watling finally overcome a worrying injury, batsman/ keeper is not a position that will be giving selector Gavin Larsen any concern. It’s quite possible some of the afore-mentioned will play throughout early 2018 as specialist batsmen.
Seam and swing bowling stocks look strong too after Seth Rance transferred his domestic T20 dominance into the international arena in Nelson.
We’ll get another chance to see if the other Nelson debutant, Anaru Kitchen, sinks or swim at Bay Oval.
And who knows – maybe the soporific Windies will spark up enough to give us a contest to enjoy?