NEW DELHI: New Zealand's wicketkeeper-batter Glenn Phillips spoke about their strategy to counter the threat posed by Afghanistan's spin wizard Rashid Khan during their ICC World Cup match in Dharamsala on Wednesday.
New Zealand managed to nullify Rashid's impact as he could only pick up one wicket for 43 runs in his 10 overs, with a couple of dropped chances against his bowling further diminishing his impact.
Phillips stated, "Everyone plans against Rashid as best as they can. Sometimes, he has an unbelievable day, and he's just unplayable regardless of how much you plan."
However, the New Zealand batters recognized the importance of working through Rashid's spell to minimize his effectiveness.
Phillips added, "We understood that if we could keep him quiet, it would allow us to take on other bowlers. We have realized that we need to work through his spell. It's a cool challenge every time you face him. He bowled incredibly well today, but I believe that we nullified his threat today."
Phillips played a crucial role in New Zealand's victory, scoring 71 runs and forming a significant partnership of 144 runs with skipper Tom Latham (68), which helped them recover from a precarious position of 110 for 4 and post a competitive total of 288 for 6. It was Phillips' first fifty of the ongoing World Cup.
Excited about the upcoming match against India in Dharamsala, all-rounder Mark Chapman expressed his enthusiasm for playing at the picturesque venue.
"I am excited to play at Dharamsala; it's a beautiful ground with beautiful scenes. I have played there once, probably a warm-up game against Hong Kong in 2016, so looking forward to it," he said.
Chapman contributed to New Zealand's innings with a quick 25 off 12 balls, including a six and two fours.
Discussing his role as a finisher, Chapman mentioned that he has more experience in T20 cricket and that he adapts to his role according to the team's requirements. In this match, the focus was on batting as long as possible to post a defendable total.
(With PTI inputs)
