Coming at No. 7, Glenn Phillips notched up a sensational maiden Test hundred for New Zealand against England on the second day of the second Test at The Oval on Thursday. With this ton, Phillips became the only third Kiwi to score a century in all three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is – joining Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill.
The 29-year-old right-hand batter was dismissed for exactly 100 to end New Zealand’s innings at 391. His century was not devoid of thrill, drama, courage, and the sunglasses! An incident in the England camp a few days ago also brought back their premier pacer Jofra Archer, and the result was a box-office face-off between the two cricketers.
Jofra Archer Breathes Fire
Making his surprise return to the Tests after missing the first contest at Lord’s
due to IPL commitments, Archer bowled short-pitch deliveries relentlessly, over after over, late on Day 1. Phillips ducked, dodged, bent, and dipped. The contest was akin to a battlefield as the Kiwi batter went run-less for over 30 minutes. Archer’s eight cinematic overs didn’t yield him a wicket, but the contest between the two made England former captain Nasser Hussain go “Brilliant cricket, this. Brilliant,” on air.
Phillips had a déjà vu moment, recalling his previous duels with Archer.
“We’ve actually had one of those duels before, six or seven years back in New Zealand, and he pretty much hit me in the exact same spots all over,” Phillips said. “He bowls with great heat, great accuracy, and he just kept coming back. Obviously, it was a thrilling contest for the crowd to see as well, and sometimes you’ve just got to enjoy it, laugh, and hope for the best.”
Philips v Archer was one of the highlights yesterday, for sure.
Can't wait for today! pic.twitter.com/vi2BOy8JaV
— floki (@Unfeel34) June 18, 2026
Sunglasses
What’s cooler than dodging bullets from Archer? Dodging the projectiles in style with cool shades on. Phillips rocked the sunglasses while bending backwards on several occasions bobbing and weaving his way out of the barrage of top-class fast bowling.
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“Some bravery this from Glenn Phillips, batting with shades on while facing Jofra Archer… I want to be like him when I’m grown up!” wrote cricket fan @kaymorizm on X.
Glenn Philips’ Hundred runs Innings was full cinema🥵 pic.twitter.com/40PgWemr1X
— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) June 18, 2026
Hundred Dedicated To Late Father
The gritty cricketer celebrated his memorable hundred by raising his bat and looking at the heavens. Later, he revealed what that moment really meant for him.
“It’s the anniversary of my dad’s passing tomorrow,” Phillips said. “Hopefully, with our boys doing their thing, maybe I’m not going to be needed tomorrow. But today is close enough for the moment to matter, and he’s been a big role in my life. I know he would have loved to be here to see that, and Test cricket was his favourite format… I know he’s watching in some stage.”
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Top Praise From Ian Bishop
West Indies great Ian Bishop heaped praises on Phillips, lauding his character, skill, and courage that he exhibited during the compelling battle.
“Superb maiden Test century for Glenn Phillips. Character, Skill and courage. I’ve run into him a lot in the last few years in the Caribbean and various countries and he has been nothing but pleasant and hard working. Happy for him,” Bishop wrote in his praise on X.
The Black Caps were reduced to 280 for 7 at one stage before Phillips shared an 87-run partnership with Kyle Jamieson (41), giving the visiting team, trailing 1-0 in the three-match Test series, an upper hand.
England closed on 222-6 on the second day of the second Test, replying to New Zealand’s first-innings 391 and trailing by 169 runs.
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