‘I was doing 800 press-ups a day’ - Glenn Phillips on his ability to play big shots

The last one year or so has been nothing but sensational for Glenn Phillips. The Kiwi dasher has played several scintillating knocks in his duration, becoming a permanent member of New Zealand’s white-ball side. Although his international debut was marked in 2017, it was the year 2020 when world cricket got to know what Phillips has up his sleeves.

He put up consistent performances and even bagged a central contract from New Zealand Cricket (NZC). While the wicketkeeper-batter burst onto the scenes in 2020, he took his power-hitting to an all-new level in 2021. Nobody has hit more sixes than Phillips’ 89 in T20 cricket (including the Hundred) this year. His tally of 1289 runs is also the most by a batter in T20 cricket this year.

Being in the gym has had a lot to do with six-hitting: Glenn Phillips

Speaking of his ability to clear the fence with ease, Phillips said working out in the gym has helped him enhanced his power. The 24-year-old also said his workout regime even include as many as 800 press-ups a day. “Being in the gym has had a lot to do with it (six-hitting). I’ve definitely put on some weight and started throwing a bit more tin around,” Phillips said during a virtual media interaction.

“So when it came to batting in the middle, if I did need to take it deeper, I could, but I always knew that I could catch-up and clear the rope if I had to. I think understanding what my strong shots are to be able to hit those sixes allows me to keep a cool head and play the right balls and hit them for six, as opposed to just trying to hit everything for six,” he added.

Phillips further said it was important for him to understand his strength alongside sweating it out in gym. “I think it’s a combination of working hard in the gym as well as understanding my game and what my strengths are and understanding the line and length that I’m looking for in order to be able to hit the maximum,” he further said. Meanwhile, Phillips is now gearing up for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 where he’ll aim to take New Zealand to the elusive title.