Glenn Phillips was delighted to provide the crowd at Mount Maunganui with an innings to remember after he struck New Zealand's fastest-ever Twenty20 international century. (Cricket News)
The crowd at Mount Maunganui were treated to a masterclass as Glenn Phillips hit a 46-ball century to inspire New Zealand.
Glenn Phillips was delighted to provide the crowd at Mount Maunganui with an innings to remember after he struck New Zealand's fastest-ever Twenty20 international century. (Cricket News)
Phillips – playing in just his 13th T20 game for his country – struck a 46-ball ton as the Black Caps amassed a huge 238-3 in a series-clinching victory over West Indies.
It was the 23-year-old's first international hundred, Phillips hitting eight sixes and 10 fours in total before suffering a recurrence of a freak knee injury he sustained in the first game in Auckland.
He battled on, but his innings came to an end on 108 from 51 balls when he was dismissed by Kieron Pollard.
Still, with crowds allowed back at sporting events in New Zealand, Phillips was thrilled to have put on a show in the 72-run win.
"That's just an incredible day. You don't get them very often, make the most of it," Phillips said.
"My whole thing is to try and be an entertainer for the crowd and, in that moment, having the crowds back, I wanted to give them something special, the whole team wanted to give them something special. It was amazing for me personally, (that) I could be part of it."
It has been a long slog for Phillips to establish himself in the New Zealand team in the shortest format, having made his T20 debut in February 2017.
"I had to go back, work on things, and took a step back to be able to move forward again," he added.
"Then I had the opportunities in the Caribbean [Premier League], which slowly worked my confidence back and I was able to have a couple of good performances, being able to come out against these boys has had a massive part of play in that.
"To be able to produce the kind of freedom in my performance was the biggest thing for me, and I was absolutely ecstatic. You don't get those very often, and I was going to enjoy it."
Phillips and New Zealand have one more T20 contest remaining at Mount Maunganui, followed by Test matches against West Indies in Hamilton and Wellington.