Gloucestershire sign New Zealand batsman Glenn Phillips for T20 Blast

GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Gloucestershire on Wednesday announced the signing of New Zealand batsman Glenn Phillips for the 2021 T20 Blast campaign.

Phillips, who will be available to Gloucestershire for the entirety of the T20 Blast season, recently broke the record for the fastest century by a New Zealand batsman in a T20I match, reaching triple digits in just 46 balls against West Indies.

"I'm really excited to join up with Gloucestershire and can't wait to get over to Bristol soon. I loved my time in the UK in 2016 playing club cricket for Brondesbury CC and for the MCC Young Cricketers," Phillips said in an official statement.

"I've always been keen to experience county cricket and I'm very grateful to Gloucestershire for giving me the opportunity," he added.

Having made his T20I debut in 2017, Phillips is already the eighth-highest run-scorer in New Zealand's history with 506 runs at an average of 28.11. He also holds the record for most wicket-keeping dismissals in an innings with four against West Indies in 2017.

"He can bat at the top of the order, in the middle and also add to our firepower at the end. He's a bit of an all-rounder because he bowls and keeps wicket as well so he will give us plenty of options and I'm looking forward to getting him in the team," said interim head coach, Ian Harvey.

Phillips also represented New Zealand in Test cricket against Australia in early 2020. He made a half-century in his maiden innings; 52, the joint highest score of any New Zealander in the match.

Since 2017, Glenn has played in the Caribbean Super League for Jamaica Tallawahs. In just four seasons with the Tallawahs, he is already the third-highest scorer in team history and the 14th highest scorer in the competition's history.

In two of the last three years, he finished second in scoring in the Super League; the other year (2019), he finished fourth.