New Delhi: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Glenn Phillips. Back-to-back catches against India’s Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy has left cricket lovers and players in awe of the ace New Zealand fielder.
Phillips’ flying catches were surely a highlight of the ICC Champions Trophy. In the group stage match against India, Phillips dismissed Kohli by jumping to his right, at the point, and catching the ball with just one hand. The Indian batter stood on the crease in shock; the crowd was silenced for a second. Anushka Sharma’s reaction said it all.
“I think a great deal of luck comes involved. I wish I could say that I’ve got a special little glue tag that I use, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. If anything, my palms are more sweaty than anything else. Obviously (it) comes down to a lot of hard work and doing the basics as much as I can and then sometimes luck just plays a good part in it,” Phillips told the reporters ahead of the match against India in the group stage.
In the final match against India in Dubai, Phillips pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at cover to dismiss opener Gill in the 19th over. Jaws dropped when the screen showed a reaction time of just 0.78 seconds.
After the 28-year-old landed on the ground, he sat with his arms and legs crossed, while a wide, joyful smile lit up his face.
Mohammad Rizwan was also his victim in the group stage, when the Kiwi dived to his wrong side and caught a ball that was flying off the bat of the Pakistan skipper. His bat also did the talking in the match as he scored 61 runs off 39 balls.
“We (Black Caps) kind of expect that from Glenn (the catch), and getting Rizwan like that was outstanding,” New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner had said, after his teammate had taken a blinder in the tournament opener against Pakistan in Karachi.
Childhood connection
Phillips’ ability to tuck and roll and dive and land properly isn’t luck or accident. It has a strong childhood connection.
“I did a fair bit of gymnastics at school growing up,” Phillips told BBC Sport. “That probably gave me a lot more confidence than potentially your average person when hitting a hard surface on the ground.”
Phillips revealed that he grew up with a 16-ft trampoline, where he would often play football and cricket. The trampoline, he added, had a significant impact on his ability to dive and develop his fielding skills in a safe environment, without the risk of injury.
Although Phillips has always had a passion for fielding, he’s never trained specifically for it. “I don’t train for those at all because if you injure yourself while training for it, then what’s the point?”
Phillips also attributes his remarkable reflexes and diving catches to “luck.” As BBC Sport reported, Phillips has made more fielding touches than any other player in the Champions Trophy tournament, with a total of 156, and boasts an impressive 100 percent catch success rate.
Man with multiple hats
Nothing is beyond the Kiwi all-rounder’s abilities on the cricket ground. He can smash the ball, bowl with precision, keep wickets like a pro, apart from his fielding contribution. And when the pressure is on, he’s also the one to rebuild an innings on a sluggish pitch, guiding his team through tough situations.
In the semi-final clash against South Africa, Phillips showcased his all-round ability with both bat and ball. He took New Zealand’s score to 362 runs with his fiery unbeaten knock of 49 runs (27 balls). The runs he put together in the last few overs also turned out to be the winning difference, as South Africa fell short of 50 runs. Later, he also picked two wickets after giving 27 runs in three overs.
Phillips made his T20I debut in February 2017 against South Africa, stepping in for the injured Martin Guptill, and hit a half century off 40 balls. Following his consistent performance, the South Africa-born cricketer was selected in the One Day International (ODI) squad in 2017, but waited for five years to make his 50-over debut.
His big break came at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he finished as New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in the tournament. Unfortunately, the Kiwis were knocked out in the semifinals.
Before becoming a cricketer, Phillips has also played hockey and football at school. He is also into archery, hiking, surfing and mountain-biking.
Cricket field isn’t the only place where Phillips showcases his flying skills. A pilot, he flies for close to four to five hours on most days—travelling from Bahrain to Dubai, Heathrow to Manchester, and some days from Auckland to Christchurch.
Even in the air, Phillips doesn’t shy from tricky scenarios. He practices crosswind landings, mechanical failure, or turbulence among other things. Phillips has a flight simulator back home and dreams of becoming a commercial pilot after his cricket career, ESPNcricinfo reported. No wonder, the stocky built Kiwi can fly like no other cricketer in the field.
(Edited by Tony Rai)