Viral Video: Glenn Phillips troubled by the glare of the sun, then used ‘cool’ trick; Some survived with the speed of an archer

By Samira Vishwas On Jun 19, 2026

On the first day of the second Test being played between England and New Zealand at The Oval, a scene was seen which attracted the attention of cricket fans. New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips suddenly came on the field wearing sunglasses while batting. After this, he faced the dangerous bowling of England’s fast bowler Joffra Archer and returned unbeaten till the end of the day’s play.

On the green pitch of The Oval, England’s acting captain Joe Root won the toss and chose to bowl first. By the end of the day New Zealand had scored 291 runs for 7 wickets. Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 49 runs and put the team in a strong position.

Glenn Phillips wearing goggles while batting against England in 2nd Test.
– Phillips facing Jofra Archer’s bouncers using GOGGLES.😊 pic.twitter.com/ysrOWTPSIX
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 17, 2026

Phillips troubled by sightscreen brightness
In the third session of the match, Phillips was having trouble seeing the ball due to sunlight shining off the sightscreen. After this, he got sunglasses from the dressing room in the 67th over and continued batting wearing them. However, soon after wearing sunglasses, a big challenge came in front of him in the form of Joffra Archer. Archer gave a tough test to Phillips with his pace and bouncers.

Archer’s bouncers troubled him
After wearing sunglasses, Phillips was hit on the shoulder by the very first ball. After this Archer kept throwing short balls continuously. A bouncer went over his head and Phillips fell on the pitch. But instead of getting nervous, he looked towards the dressing room and showed a thumbs-up, seeing which even his fellow players laughed.

Darryl Mitchell praised
After the end of the day’s play, New Zealand batsman Darryl Mitchell praised Phillips. He said that Phillips blossoms on occasions like these. “He’s an entertainer,” Mitchell said. He likes to look cool by wearing sunglasses. Archer’s spell was very difficult, but Phillips faced it brilliantly.

Shine in test after IPL
Glenn Phillips’ IPL 2026 season was not special. He did not get many opportunities in Gujarat Titans. But he has proved to be New Zealand’s most reliable batsman on the England tour. After scoring 34 and 44 not out in the Lord’s Test, he now played an important inning of 49 runs at The Oval also. This fighting innings of Phillips was very important for New Zealand and the team will take the field on the second day with the hope of a big score.