A brilliant century by Glenn Phillips has powered New Zealand to their highest-ever T20I score, putting the home side in the driving seat in a dead-rubber game.
The New Zealand vs India 4th T20I is currently being played at Eden Park in Auckland. The Men in Blue decided to win the toss and chose to field first. This is the fourth time in this series that the away team will be chasing.
NZ vs IND 4th T20I: Here Is What Happened
The Kiwis did not get off to a flying start, something their final score would suggest. The first over, bowled by Mayank Yadav, was a brilliant one. The Delhi-native conceded five runs, despite a no-ball, and took the wicket of Tim Seifert.
It wasn’t until the third over, bowled by Mayank too, that New Zealand hit their first boundary. And while that over went for 20 runs, it also saw the wicket of Daryl Mitchell fall, who made a quickfire 24 off nine before being caught behind.
But some big shots led the BlackCaps to a respectable total of 67/2 by the end of the powerplay.
Finn Allen was the next to lose his wicket. He was dismissed by Axar Patel in the eighth over for 31 off 17, caught at deep cover. The end of that over saw the score stand at 93/3. Despite losing early wickets, New Zealand were off to a flyer.
The next few overs were quite slow. Both Bevon Jacobs and Glenn Phillips, the latter of whom has been in scintillating form in this series, were struggling against the variety of the Indian bowling attack. Jacobs became Mayank Yadav’s third wicket in the 11th over, getting out for a run-a-ball seven.
By this point, the run rate had fallen to about 10 rpo, and the Kiwis needed a boost if they were to reach a total of over 225, something that has been around average in this series so far.
Michael Bracewell provided that boost as soon as he stepped on the pitch. And soon after, Phillips reached his half-century in 31 balls.
Phillips and Bracewell then unleashed a barrage of boundaries on the Indian bowlers. 16 runs came in the 12th over, 18 came in the 13th, and 20 came in the 14th. A seven-run 15th over was compensated by Glenn Phillips hitting 32 runs in the 16th over off Nitish Kumar Reddy, hitting a boundary and four sixes in a row.
Michael Bracewell reached his half-century in the very next over, reaching the milestone with a six in 19 deliveries. 20 more runs came in the 17th over, and by this point, it was clear that India had lost their grip on this game.
Prince Yadav pulled the leash back a bit, conceding just six runs in the 18th over and taking the ever-important wicket of Bracewell.
Before this game, New Zealand’s highest ever T20I score came against Scotland in Edinburgh on July 29, 2022. Their highest score against a Test nation, which was also the highest total in a T20I by the BlackCaps on home soil, was 243 runs against the West Indies at Mount Maunganui in 2018.
The Kiwis went past that second record in the 19th over by Arshdeep Singh, which went for 14 runs. Glenn Phillips reached his 100 with a six on the second legal delivery of this over, doing so in just 46 balls.
However, Arshdeep did end it with the wicket of opposition captain Michell Santner. This was the Indian pacer’s 150th wicket in T20Is. He is the first Indian and the seventh-ever bowler to reach the milestone.
And then, with 13 runs coming in the final over, New Zealand registered their highest-ever score in T20Is, 259/7. This total came on the back of a solid century by Glenn Phillips (107 off 49) and a rapid half-century by Michael Bracewell, who made 65 off 25 balls.
India now has a mountain to climb, as they have to break a record of their own to win this one. The current highest T20I chase has been 259/4, scored by South Africa against the Windies in 2023. For the Men in Blue to win this New Zealand vs India 4th T20I, they need to make at least 260 runs in 20 overs, at a run rate of 13 rpo.
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