Watch: Glenn Phillips’ gravity-defying one-handed stunner sends Ollie Pope packing

The reason Glenn Phillips of New Zealand is regarded as one of the best fielders in contemporary cricket was demonstrated once more. On day two of the first Test match between England and New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Phillips made a spectacular one-handed catch that altered the outcome of the contest.

In the 53rd over of England’s opening innings, Tim Southee was bowling when Ollie Pope tried a cut shot that appeared to be headed for a boundary. In order to grab the ball out of thin air, Phillips leaped horizontally to his right and extended one hand. Despite Pope’s strong appearance at the crease, his 77-run innings was cut short by Phillips’ forceful catch.

Check out Glenn Phillips’ jaw-dropping catch here:

Glenn Phillips adds another unbelievable catch to his career resume! The 151-run Brook-Pope (77) partnership is broken. Watch LIVE in NZ on TVNZ DUKE and TVNZ+ #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/6qmSCdpa8u

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 29, 2024

Phillips himself scored an important 58 runs in the contest, which saw the hosts earlier limited to 348 runs. The top order struggled in England’s comeback, with Joe Root and Zak Crawley both exiting without a goal, leaving the score at 45 for three.

However, Pope and Harry Brook’s partnership helped the team come back into the game by putting together a stand of 145 runs. Brook, meanwhile, kept up his strong play, completing the day at 132 and earning a well-earned century. By the end of Day 2, England had cut New Zealand’s lead to just 29 runs with a score of 319/5.