Dale delighted to have Phillips back for Blast
BIG-HITTER Glenn Phillips has re-signed for Gloucestershire for 2022 and will be available for selection for the county’s entire Vitality Blast campaign.
Gloucestershire are thrilled to welcome the New Zealand star back to Bristol for a second consecutive summer following the 25-year-old’s impressive spell last season. Phillips quickly became a favourite with Gloucestershire fans in 2021, when he scored 500 runs in just 12 matches in the Vitality Blast, the second highest total of all the batsmen in last year’s competition. His highest-scoring innings came against Glamorgan in Bristol in June, when his unbeaten 94 powered Gloucestershire to a 34-run win.
Phillips will again look to put on a show for supporters at the Seat Unique Stadium this season, in the hope of helping Gloucetershire challenge for silverware in the T20 Vitality Blast.
Speaking about his return to Gloucestershire, Phillips said: “I really enjoyed my time at Gloucestershire last year and I am very glad to be returning this season. It’s going to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to get it underway.”
Phillips, a top-order batsmanwicketkeeper, has made 35 T20I appearances for New Zealand since making his debut in 2017, scoring 645 runs in the process. His best performance with the bat for New Zealand came against West
His addition, with his pedigree and experience, to an already strong white-ball side gives us a great chance of going toe-to-toe with every opposition we come up against
Indies, in November 2020, when he scored 108 runs off just 51 balls, a tally which broke the record for the fastest century by a New Zealand batsman in a T20 international. Despite only making his debut five years ago, Phillips is already the seventh highest T20 run scorer for his country. He is also a proven wicket-taker and has claimed 45 wickets in 67 first-class and T20 matches. Most recently, Phillips has played domestic first-class and List A cricket in New Zealand for Auckland, and between December and March he scored 378 runs in just 10 innings at an average of 42.
Ahead of arriving in Bristol to play in the Vitality Blast for Gloucestershire, Phillips is representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) throughout April and May.
Dale Benkenstein, head coach at Gloucestershire, said: “Glenn is a
huge talent and was one of the best players in the Vitality Blast last year, so we’re delighted to have him back again this season.
“We have ambitions of competing for titles and that includes the
T20 Vitality Blast. Glenn offers us a fantastic option at the top of the order and I’m sure our supporters are just as excited to see him bat this summer as the coaching team are.
“His addition, with his pedigree and experience, to an already strong white-ball side gives us a great chance of going toe-to-toe with every opposition we come up against.”