GLENN PHILLIPS HONOURED WITH PLAYERS’ CAP
“He brings the fizz,“ was the catchphrase amongst the his fellow team-mates when describing live wire Glenn Phillips’ contribution to the Blackcaps over the past twelve months. Phillips added even more strings to his bow during the season proving he is a more than capable Test cricketer and a wicket taking spin bowler as he showcased his wide range of skills.
Across six tests, Phillips amassed 314 runs with a strike rate 81.55 and an average of 35, but it was the significance of some of those knocks that contributed so much to the team, not to mention the arrival of Phillips the ‘all-rounder’ with a man of the match performance in the Test victory in Bangladesh that squared the series. Notably, it was his spin bowling that attracted the attention of his colleagues and cricket fans and is an area of his game that Phillips has been working hard on in recent times. Previously a bit of a side-project Phillips yielded 17 Test wickets with his off-spin, including a maiden five-wicket haul (5/45) against Australia in Wellington. His fielding prowess was equally outstanding, with five spectacular catches throughout the series, including a stunning acrobatic catch to dismiss Keegan Petersen in the second test against South Africa.
As opposed to last year, which saw the end of the New Zealand home summer overlapping with the IPL, the second Test against Australia concluded the voting period for The Players’ Cap. The presentation for The Players’ Cap was made in Christchurch earlier this week with the players gathered at the team hotel, where Phillips was named as the recipient of 13th edition of The Players’ Cap.
The Blackcaps all-rounder was humbled and surprised to receive the award “Wow, I didn't see that coming,” explained Phillips. ”Obviously, I vote for players who I think are going to win it as well. I didn't think I was going to be even close and for the guys to be able to see me that way, it's incredibly special. This group, the camaraderie we have, the enjoyment that we have, the time that we spend together, it definitely means the world when the players are the ones that are voting for it. I don't really have any other way to describe it”.
The players’ own aggregate voting format was once again fiercely contested this year with a host of players in line to receive this highly regarded honour. Phillips’ impact across the Test format in particular saw him edge out captain Kane Williamson and Matt Henry who were tied for 2nd on the overall voting tally.
Recently retired Blackcaps pace bowler Neil Wagner had the honour of presenting The Players’ Cap and acknowledged his team-mates’ achievement, “When I didn't know who it was receiving the award, I sat down and thought about a couple of players who could deserve this. Glenn's name came to mind, and I thought it was going to be him. His performance throughout the year and just how hard he's worked on his game. He's developed so much as a bowler, his whole all-round capability - a gun with the bat, what he brings in the field, the energy he brings, and what he gives to the team. He's just growing and growing each year.
Blackcaps Test Captain and two times recipient of The Players’ Cap Tim Southee was full of praise for Phillips, “A key thing that Glenn brings to the side is just his energy. It's second to none. His fizz levels for everything, his love for the game and we see that in his fielding. He's only taken up bowling a few years ago and now he's taking five wicket bags in test matches. It's an award that he certainly deserves and his energy and what he brings to the side is appreciated amongst his teammates.”
Three times recipient of The Players’ Cap Kane Williamson was also full of plaudits for Phillips, “The players are the people on the ground, the people you're standing next to that are there experiencing the performance and the contributions, the direction that they're ideally headed in. So, to see someone like Glenn receive the award, I think is just so fitting and it's not just the numbers that he's put up in all his areas, whether that's catches and runs and wickets, but the way that he goes about it, it's always geared to move the team forward and it's always with a team-first approach. So, to see that recognised that's not always visible from an outside perspective is something quite special.”
The 2024 cap is the 13th edition of The Players' Cap, with the player voted award highlighting the contribution’s made from many players across all formats. Glenn Phillips led the player votes in the Test format just ahead of Matt Henry and Kane Williamson (equal second). In white ball cricket it was Rachin Ravindra whose performances through the year saw him take out the ODI voting tally (Daryl Mitchell 2nd and Trent Boult 3rd), and Tim Southee topped the T20 votes, with Finn Allen (2nd) and Mitch Santner (3rd) close behind.
The Players’ Cap leading vote recipients per format were:
Test Glenn Phillips
ODI Rachin Ravindra
T20i Tim Southee
About The Players’ Cap
Players and coaches vote for the players who they deem to have contributed the most to the team performance over the course of each match. Recognising that players and coaches have a unique insight into the tactics, role and impact of each player’s performance and how they each contributed to the overall team effort, this award is one that holds the highest of accolades.
Weighting of Votes
In order to compensate for the uneven number and length of Test, ODI and T20i matches, and to ensure that players from all three formats of the game have a fair chance of winning the award, a weighting system applies to all votes.
Test match votes have a ‘weighting factor’ of 6,
ODI match votes have a ‘weighting factor’ of 3
T20i match votes have a ‘weighting factor’ of 2
To find out more about The Players’ Cap click here
The PLAYERS’ Cap Recipients:
2024: 13th - Glenn Phillips
2023: 12th - Daryl Mitchell
2022: 11th - Devon Conway
2021: 10th - Kyle Jamieson
2020: 9th - Tim Southee
2019: 8th - Ross Taylor
2018: 7th - Trent Boult
2017: 6th - Kane Williamson
2016: 5th - Kane Williamson
2015: 4th - Kane Williamson
2014: 3rd - Ross Taylor
2013: 2nd - Tim Southee
2012: 1st - Brendon McCullum