It was late in the Otago innings at University Oval, Dunedin, when Glenn Phillips decided to have a bit of fun. The right-hander, already well set, changed his grip mid-stride, batted left-handed, and threaded Dean Foxcroft past cover for four. Two overs later he cleared extra-cover for six off Jayden Lennox. Those two strokes — one a crisp boundary, the other soaring onto the roof — turned a routine Super Smash match into a talking point.
Otago eventually beat Central Districts by 41 runs, Phillips finishing 90 not out from 48 balls, an effort good enough for Player of the Match. Seven fours, four sixes and, crucially, a couple of reverse-handed drives no one present will forget in a hurry.
“I have done it for a little while in the nets, but never quite brought it out,” he told TVNZ, still breathing heavily after the win. “Obviously it is a little bit of an interesting thing, the switch-around in a game of professional cricket … the other day I was stroking it better in the nets when I was left-handed than when I was right-handed. So it sort of made sense to at least try and bring it out when there was nothing left to lose.”
Key facts first
• Phillips switched grip twice, once in the 19th over (four) and again in the 20th (six).
• The shot differed from the well-known switch-hit by targeting the off side rather than the improvised leg side.
• Otago posted 207 for 4; Central Districts managed 166 for 7.
• The MCC legalised the switch-hit in 2008, so no laws were bent here.
How does his version differ?
Kevin Pietersen popularised the switch-hit in 2008, bludgeoning balls into what instantly became the leg side. David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and others refined it. Phillips’ tweak — a “switch cover drive”, if you like — sees him stay classical, simply mirrored. It demands superb hand-eye co-ordination because the bat face must still present full to the ball, only now from the opposite stance. Try it in the nets and you’ll quickly see why most stick to the reverse sweep.
“I honestly thought Lennox had bowled wide enough,” Central skipper Tom Bruce admitted afterwards, half-smiling, half-shaking his head. “But Glenn’s reach is ridiculous.”
Why do it at all?
Momentum, surprise, and, yes, a bit of theatre. Late overs field settings are predictable: two men back on the leg side, long-on and deep midwicket patrolling. By swapping sides, a batter can open up gaps that simply didn’t exist. The risk is obvious — one mis-hit and you look daft — yet the reward, as Phillips showed, is worth it when you’re seeing it like a melon.
A note on legality
Fielding captains sometimes protest, arguing they commit to a plan the batter then subverts. The Laws, though, are clear: once the bowler starts the run-up, the batter may move at will. As long as Phillips completed that motion before Lennox released the ball, everything was fair.
Where next?
Phillips has already played 17 Tests, 44 ODIs and 83 T20Is for New Zealand. If he keeps adding strokes like this, selectors — and opposition analysts — may have more to ponder. For now, the Super Smash rolls on, and Otago have two points in the bank.
Whether the “switch cover drive” becomes a trend or stays a quirky footnote, it gave a sleepy post-Christmas crowd something new to chat about on the walk home. And in T20 cricket, that’s often half the battle won.
