Glenn Phillips, the first NZ spinner to claim five wickets at home in sixteen years, stuns Australia with a ball: Glenn Phillips, an all-rounder for New Zealand, became the first Kiwi spinner to take five wickets at home in 16 years on Monday when he recorded his career-best Test figures against Australia in Wellington.
In the first innings, Phillips’ defensive play at bat helped spare New Zealand some blushes when Australia dismissed the hosts for 179 runs to take a 204-run lead. Phillips recovered from 29 for five to hit a 70-ball 71 that included 13 fours.
Day three saw Phillips come into the attack for the Kiwis as their fifth bowler, while Australia was still at 13 for two after the previous night. Usman Khawaja was stumped on 28 after Phillips tricked him, and he then went through the middle order.
After dismissing Travis Head (age 28), the right-arm offender removed Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck on the following ball. Taking out wicketkeeper Alex Carey (3), he claimed his landmark wicket by short-legging first-inning centurion Cameron Green (34) to mark his century. Australia set a massive 369-run target for the home team before eventually being bowled out for 164.
Phillips’s virgin His five-wicket haul in the Test match matched his career-high total for all 54 First-Class matches of cricket. It was also the first time since 2008 that a spinner from New Zealand had taken five wickets at home.
The last two Kiwi spinners to take five wickets at home were off-spinner Jeetan Patel and legendary New Zealander Daniel Vettori, who accomplished the feat in a match against the West Indies in December 2008.
Eight foreign spinners have claimed five wickets in New Zealand since then. With the addition of Neil Brand and Dane Piedt from South Africa earlier in February before Phillips went through the Australia lineup, the spinners who have accomplished the feat are Harbhajan Singh (2009), Danish Kaneria (2009), Sunil Narine (2013), Keshav Maharaj (twice in 2017), and Jack Leach (2023).
