Glenn Phillips leads Black Caps fightback as Tom Blundell notches 50 against England
Thursday, 18 June 2026
Second test, The Oval: New Zealand 291-7 (Tom Blundell 51, Glenn Phillips 49 not out, Daryl Mitchell 44; Jacob Bethell 2-8) vs England. Click here for full scoreboard.
Glenn Phillips would have every right to cast aside his shades post-stumps and send enquiring glances at some of his Black Caps team-mates.
The New Zealand batter walked off battered, bruised, dirty and unbeaten on 49 as New Zealand reached 291-7 by the end of day one of the second test at The Oval.
There were some soft dismissals throughout the day, including those of determined half-century maker Tom Blundell and No 8 Nathan Smith in the final session, both to the part-time spin of Jacob Bethell.
They came soon after Phillips opted to wear sunglasses in the evening light as he battled to pass a searching examination from Jofra Archer — who seemed to take it as a personal insult, launching a barrage of mostly-accurate short deliveries which had the Black Caps allrounder ducking and diving more than Arthur Daley and Del Boy Trotter combined.
The hosts, 1-0 up in the three-test series, made five changes from Lord’s, including three debutants.
Out went curfew miscreants Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, seamer Ollie Robinson through a knee injury, spinner Shoaib Bashir was viewed as surplus to requirements and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith was on parental leave for the birth of his second child.
In came Archer, fellow paceman Matt Fisher for his second test after debuting four years ago, and newbies Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox and James Rew.
That meant only Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook and Josh Tongue were left from the XI which played the final test of the Ashes last summer.
Devon Conway played a loose and short innings, while skipper and opening partner Tom Latham looked far more compact and assured that it was a surprise that he somehow got a leading edge to a delivery from England speedster Archer which was superbly snaffled by Bethell diving right at gully for 27 from 75 balls.
Henry Nicholls, brought in as the only change from the side which lost the first test by 115 runs at Lord’s after Kane Williamson’s post-match retirement, helped NZ reach lunch just two wickets down after stand-in home team skipper Root won the toss following a delayed start due to some early light rain.
It was the 29th first-class game in a row at the venue where the side that has won the coin flip opted to bowl.
Nicholls fell soon after the lunch break when an absence of foot movement led to him chopping on to his stumps.
After a horror test at Lord’s, Rachin Ravindra looked fluent from the outset in another part of London, moving to 33 from 51 balls before becoming Baker’s maiden test wicket and Bethell’s second catch of the day.
Daryl Mitchell and Blundell, who combined so splendidly often in NZ’s previous test series in England, then put on 81 for the fifth wicket, after the former was dropped at slip by Cox on two.
After Mitchell fell to a Baker bouncer for 44, Phillips gave Blundell essential support as they added 77 for the sixth wicket.
The wicketkeeper-batter had just brought up his half-century before attempting to punish the introduction of Bethell’s off-spin, only to fail to clear Root at short midwicket.
Smith fell soon after when he top-edged a Bethell full toss skywards — which would have fully justified an eye-roll from Phillips.