Auckland, Oct 30 (IANS) New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell heaped praise on fellow batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips for smashing his third T20I century during the fourth match of the series against India at Eden Park in Auckland.
Bracewell called Phillips a “real character and an entertainer”, one who is a “privilege to watch” when he gets going. Phillips hit a brilliant 49-ball 107 to power New Zealand to 259/7.
Bracewell himself hit his career-best T20I score, making 65 from 25 deliveries and being crucial in the innings as he put up a 115-run stand for the fifth wicket with Phillips.
‘It was great to be out there with GP, playing with him in front of this amazing crowd. It’s pretty cool to play in a sold-out Eden Park. And, to be able to contribute to the total is pretty exciting,” Bracewell said after the first innings.
“Oh, it’s amazing, yeah. He’s a real character and entertainer, and when he’s batting like that, it’s a privilege to watch from the other end. I think we bounced off each other really nicely tonight and we were able to put the bowlers under a bit of pressure,” he said on Phillips.
Meanwhile, Bracewell’s knock was pretty important as well for the hosts to pile up a record total. “It was nice to get out there and get a couple of boundaries away early. When you can get that momentum early in your innings, then you’re sort of putting the game to them, and that’s the way that I like to play my cricket. So yeah, it’s nice to be able to do that tonight,” he said.
India had chased down their highest T20I score of 226 in the first T20I, and with an even steeper mountain in Auckland, the Kiwi all-rounder hoped that this would prove to be enough for the hard-hitting Indian side.
“Yeah, we’ll make it enough. I think we’ve learned a lot from the lessons that we took from the last game. So yeah, hopefully we can implement those and have a better night with the ball tonight. (Looking forward to having a bowl tonight?) Yeah, it’s always a great opportunity to come up against the best players in the world. I think when you test yourself against them, then you really see where you’re at. So yeah, I’m excited to get the ball in hand and see what we can do,” he said.
–IANS
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