DUBAI: It could be a coincidence, but something that cannot be overlooked. Could New Zealand actually be doing well in ICC tournaments because they have a smaller pool of players to choose from? Batter Glenn Phillips, for one, seems to think so.
"We are fortunate in New Zealand, where we do have a lot fewer players than India has to choose from, which means we can afford to give guys slightly longer runs before moving to potentially the next group of players.
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"And that does, obviously, give a lot of confidence. The intense competition is slightly different from what maybe the competition in India is from a pure numbers perspective," Phillips said.
Phillips explained that in New Zealand, players prioritize playing for the team rather than for individual places. "We've got guys waiting in the wings that are definitely ready to be here and to perform. So for us, we try not to think about that because we're all in it together.
"There's a wider squad that is all involved, we're all New Zealand cricket as a whole in this team environment. That culture allows us to go out there and play for each other, as opposed to playing for ourselves individually for other spots, which I do think gives us a little bit of an advantage, say, over India who, you know, if you don't perform one day, you very well may not play the next two or three years," Phillips said.
Since the time they've landed here, the Black Caps have sought to play down the controversy surrounding India getting to play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. Phillips asserted that the Kiwis have a "no-excuse mindset." "For us, there's no focus on anything like that. Obviously, the tournament draw is what it is. We have a no-excuses mindset to be able to come out to a tournament. You've dealt the hand that you've dealt, and India has been dealt a hand. We're never going to complain about what we get," he said.
Phillips gave the Champions Trophy one of its best moments when he flew to his left at backward point to pouch a blinder to dismiss Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan. Asked in jest if he was using a glue stick, Phillips said, "I wish I could say I've got a special glue tag but unfortunately, that's not the case. It comes down to a lot of hard work and then luck plays a good part!"
