New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips believes that it won’t be a problem for them to switch to Tests from ODIs, as they are process driven and it remains their strength irrespective of formats. New Zealand, who arrived on November 22, began their preparations at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Thursday ahead of their two-match Test series, scheduled at SICS from November 28.
New Zealand last featured in a Test, against Sri Lanka back in March as their players were mostly busy playing white-ball cricket in the lead-up to the ICC World Cup for the last eight months.
Majority of the Test squad members recently took part in the just-concluded ICC World Cup in India where they ended their campaign after being knocked out by the hosts in the semi-final.
“At the end of the day, a lot of the boys are really process-driven. Whether it’s Test cricket or other, the process remains the same,” Phillips said following their practice session at SICS on Thursday.
“When you go to the field, it’s just a game with either a white or red ball. For us, it’s to go in the middle and follow our process the way we are [doing] now,” he said, adding that a couple of days break before coming to Bangladesh helped them a lot.
“It was good for the guys to be in Dubai for a couple of days. It refreshed us and some of us went home to see the families. It was really good I think before a Test series, especially after the World Cup to have this sort of break and come out here refreshed,” he said.
Phillips, who previously toured in this part of the world with the U-19 team during the 2016 ICC U-19 World Cup, said that he was surprised as the wicket was greener than what they anticipated but hoped to get a good game both with the bat and ball.
“It’s really great to get out there. The pitch is a little greener than what we thought it was gonna be. It was good practice all round. Boys are going to bowl and boys are going to bat. So happy with that,” said Phillips, who is making his first trip to Bangladesh with the senior team.
Phillips added that he was excited to see a lot of left-handed batters in the Bangladesh batting line-up as it makes him feel that he will have a role to play.
“Obviously, I’m the only one to bowl off-spin. I’m the only one to turn the ball differently from the other boys. But for me, as Bangladesh have quite a few left-handers in their line-up, my involvement will definitely put pressure on them,” he said.
The series-concluding Test is scheduled at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka from December 6.
